'Current Model Triggered Urgency and Passion But...': R Ashwin Gives Level-headed Take on India Having Five Designated Test Centres

After India managed to seal a win by seven wickets against Bangladesh for the 2-0 Test series sweep at Kanpur, the veteran spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin opened up about his thoughts regarding the five-Test Centres rule that has gained traction since the two days of playing time were lost due to inclement weather and a wet outfield at the Green Park Stadium.

To add context, it was the Indian skipper at the time, Virat Kohli who had revealed his take on India having five fixed venues to play the five-day format back in 2019.

Ashwin who is always one to give a knowledgable opinion, shared his take on the same. He believes that with Test cricket being played in various parts of the country, it has given a lot more importance to the format by which newer generations of players continue to be produced for the national side.

“Firstly, what are the benefits that Indian cricketers attained by having so many Test centres? You’ve got cricketers who come and play Test cricket from every nook and corner of this country It’s a huge country and it’s triggered that sort of urgency and that sort of passion amongst cricketers to be able to come and play for this country. That’s a big positive,” Ashwin pointed out during the post-match press conference.

“There are certain requisite ingredients that go into making a Test match happen like the weather and the kind of drainage that we need to be able to invest in. These are no-brainers,” he added.

Do Five Test Centres Benefit the Players?

Ashwin also suggested that having five confirmed venues would most likely help out the players as they get accustomed to the conditions to make home advantage count even more. The veteran took the example of Australia and England to make his point.

“Most certainly it does. Because when we go to Australia, they play India only at five test centres. They don’t play us at the Manuka Owl in Canberra. They don’t play us at any of the other venues where they know they won’t be very familiar with the conditions and so do England. They have certain select Test centers and that’s where they play. Some of those are only white ball centres,” he commented.

As for whether India should do it, Ashwin once again showcased his wits with a classy but neutral response.

“Can we do it here? That’s above my pay grade and I cannot comment on that,” he concluded.