Follow UsVirat Kohli was the first advocate of having five permanent Test centres in the country to grow that format of the game and to make it more welcoming for the touring Test sides in a way that they would be familiar with conditions and more prepared to take on the home side.
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has taken charge in Kohli’s absence to keep fuelling the discussion of Test centres. This became a topic of discussion after both Tests against the West Indies in Ahmedabad and Delhi saw very low crowds. But for Ashwin, the topic of Test centres was more than just a crowd problem.
“Test centres are not about crowds alone. It is also about familiarity of conditions. If we are playing a Test in Guwahati or Ranchi, I am not against these venues as a possibility. But the problem in India is every surface has a different identity. There is literally no bounce in the Eastern part of the country. It becomes a very ordinary Test match pitch then,” Indian Express quoted Ashwin as saying on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat.
“Make sure whichever Test centre you decide has the best pitches. Some venues are better than others only because the pitches are better, and the team is used to conditions. That is a home advantage. Otherwise, the only point is you are playing within that Indian map as home, but it is not home,” he added.
Talking about the next home Tests for India, which would be against South Africa, Ashwin questioned the choice of Guwahati as a Test venue.
“Eden Gardens, Guwahati – playing against South Africa there? I personally think it’s about time we make Test centres. Guwahati as a Test match is not a home game for either team, and I don’t think anyone in the Indian team has played a first-class game in Guwahati,” the second-highest wicket-taker in Tests for India said.
All other countries in the world generally have five designated venues where they play Tests. India alone is an exception in the sense that since 2010, while the likes of Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa have restricted the number of grounds at best to seven to host Tests, India have used more than 16 venues in the same period.