India's interest in Test cricket fading
The journey from Bangalore, where the , up to Mohali in the north of India, has been a long one. But it has given me plenty of time to reflect on the future of Test cricket in a country currently obsessed by the Twenty20 format.
After the shenanigans between these two teams at the I don't think it's an exaggeration to call this series the most eagerly-awaited rematch of the new millennium.
As such, I expected Bangalore to be buzzing with the mouth-watering prospect of India looking to put one over Australia and gain some sort of revenge for their recent narrow series defeats both at home and Down Under.
Indeed, it looked pretty much business as usual outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium on the first morning of the first Test with the queues for those with tickets, those buying tickets and those collecting tickets all merged into one mighty scrum outside the one narrow entry into one of the main stands.
However inside, the large sections of empty seats told a different story and although the 55,000 capacity venue filled up a little over the course of the day, the organisers said they were "disappointed" with the turnout.
A local holiday ensured that the crowds on Friday and Saturday were more in line with expectation but the most worrying, long-term, change in the paying public's love of the game out here came on the fifth day.
Since I first travelled out here in 1996 the very whiff of a Sachin Tendulkar innings would bring in people far and wide and I'll never forget the scene when the amassed crowd disappeared like water down a plughole the moment the Little Master was dismissed.
So, with Sachin striding out to bat and Brian Lara's world record run tally very much on the horizon, I fully expected the stands to groan under the weight of Bangaloreans rushing in to see Sachin make history.
Incredibly though, the galleries only swelled very slightly as India looked to save the Test and the only real noticeable difference was in the stand for 'invitees only' - obviously making the most of their Monday afternoon freebie.
But switch on your TV at night and perhaps some of the reasons behind the disappointing crowds come to light.
At 7pm every night you can tune in for the new and improved second edition of the , or as the advertisers would have it - CRICKET BOOM BOOM - ICL 2008!
Now there's no doubt that, on paper, the product on display arguably leaves a little bit to be desired with retired internationals mixing it with Indian youngsters but there is no denying the slick coverage and sheer amount of money being pumped in means that the ICL is a force to be reckoned with.
Throw in some scantily-clad cheerleaders/dancing girls, Tony Greig screaming "...off the meat of the bat" at even the most innocuous forward defensive and the beautiful flipping effortlessly from English to Hindi as she interrogates each waiting batsman - it makes a heady cocktail for those watching at home.
Comparatively, conditions both inside and outside many Indian Test grounds have seen very little investment over the last few years and now, other than the cricket out in the middle, hardly encourage local cricket fans to part with their hard-earned rupees.
Maybe the attendances in Bangalore were simply a blip or has the grip of Twenty20 taken its first hold on Test cricket?
Comment number 1.
At 16th Oct 2008, WaveyDavey007 wrote:Money helps sport develop more and then helps destroy anything but the most profitable fomats.
Shame but true.
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Comment number 2.
At 16th Oct 2008, Gunner4Life wrote:I follow Indian cricket and this situation is nothing new and nor is it a 'blip'.
You see empty stands in most Indian Test matches and tbh nobody even cares about it unless india loses...
ODIs and T20 are the only forms that seems to interest the fans...
It is a 'shame' as Test for me anyway is the best form of cricket where great batsmen and bowlers are discovered. I don't think the situation will change tbh as this has been going on for a long period of time and if anything it seems to be getting worse...
Unless India some how becomes the No. 1 team in the world, I don't see the numbers increasing what-so-ever...
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Comment number 3.
At 16th Oct 2008, AndyPlowright wrote:India is seeing a mass infiltration of Western capitalism and corporate attitudes. Test cricket doesn't fit into that. It's not something you can squash down into nice little bundles, get a defintie result and be able to fit it into TV schedules without too much hassle on the part of the broadcaster. Twenty20 is perfect for commercial enterprise but useless for the cricket fan.
People don't talk about Brendon McCullum's innings in the IPL's first season. They do talk about Laxman's innings to beat Australia all those years ago. That's the difference. 20-over cricket is good to watch and good to play but it doesn't have the long-lasting feeling that you get from a really tough competition.
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Comment number 4.
At 17th Oct 2008, Aktavist wrote:Hi Phil
Interesting observations on your Indian trip.
Indian fans like others enjoy success. Sachin has been a legend but his recent lack of scores quickly turn the tide for the fans favourite. The hardcore cricket fans will of-course stilll follow him religously but cricket has a new ting in India now.
After India won the T20 World Cup it overshadowed all other success, as it was seen as world domination. As a Pakistan fan India didn't win it but Pakistan lost it, but this will not affect the great joy the mass of India enjoyed after the victory, infact beating Pakistan in the final was the icing on the cake.
Many do watch test cricket but as prefer to watch it on T.V or listen to it on the Radio. Can you let us know about the ticketing costs as they may have gone up dramatically just like the money hunger of the BCCI.
Indians love hard and fast cricket and have become addicts of the shorter T20, which will become the new nightly soap in India after work.
I do share your concerns though that such a massive influence like India in world cricket seems to be heading for T20 and less and less for Test matches.
Thanks for the blog.
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Comment number 5.
At 17th Oct 2008, clown-man wrote:Mr Phil Long,
Do you think they should change the rules of the Test cricket to compete with 2020? Maybe the Icc will look at this and i will winaprize
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Comment number 6.
At 17th Oct 2008, james wrote:The last Indian Test and ODI series in Sri Lanka did not get great viewing figures in India either. The reason is the IPL games were on TV each night for 50 odd days and it was obvious people got fed up with it!!
Mass saturation kills any game, 20/20, ODI, Tests, football or rugby......BCCI would be wise (that's not likley), to limit the amount of international and IPL games played....or people will switch off.
Also Test matches have never sold out in India, Lanka, Pakistan, NZ or Windies? It only really happens in England and (sometimes) Australia.
Test match is what it is.......a REAL test ovber 5 days to bowl out the other side twice and bat as much as possible. The death of Test criucket has been talked about for 50 years........its still here.
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Comment number 7.
At 19th Oct 2008, dimensions1 wrote:I was in India for the duration of England's ;ast tour and found that the Indians DO stilll love Test cricket.
You have to remember India is a hard-working naton and like anywhere in the world, people go to work on a Monday, hence the lower attendance (this even happens in England).
Also, the half empty grounds you talk of would still add up to an attendence higher than Lords or the Oval.
Indians find it easier to get to day/nighters after work and one-dayers - they love the shorter forms of the game and still love Test cricket, only their love is spread out over five days. Put simply the Indians love any form of cricket full-stop, but still hvae jobs to go to.
It is just unfortunate that the headline of this blog 'Indians interest in Test cricket fading' has been put up on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ cricket home page appearing as a statement of fact.
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Comment number 8.
At 19th Oct 2008, Stargazer wrote:Until India won the World Cup Test cricket was ALWAYS sold out in India, whether there was a prospect of a result or not. After the World Cup win the attitude of the Indian fans changed radically (see Vic Marks's excellent book "Marks out of XI" for a description of the transaition period".
Similarly, in the Carribean matches were always a sell-out when the West Indies reigned supreme. Now they are not because cricket has been dying slowly in the region and only TV rights and tourists make it profitable (hence England still play 4 Tests v the West Indies, but only 2 v India where the profits are from the short game). Only Pakistan and New Zealand have never really had a history of sell-out crowds.
It's funny how people equate the last few years with "this is how it has always been". :-)
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Comment number 9.
At 28th Oct 2008, DrCajetanCoelho wrote:Nowadays young people in India have a wide range of possibilities for entertainment. In many of our cities we have over a hundred TV channels that bring all sorts of things international and national. Many prefer to invest their time and money in music, fast food and also fast cricket like the T20 encounters.
The traditional Gentleman's Game is turning into a thing of the past. Fireworks, cheerleaders, huge sums of money for the losers and winners and coloured costumes are replacing test cricket virtues. Long hours of batting and sending down large number of overs could soon be a thing of the past.
When our legendary Indian batsmen and bowlers leave the international stage, their successors would certainly provide us with fireworks and entertainment but would they come anywhere near Anil, Sachin, Saurav, VVS and Rahul ? The discipline, dedication, patience, footwork, shot selection and eye to fit into the Gentleman's Game in the traditional sense may not be easy or even desired.
In recent times the agenda of those at the helm and running the Game has changed quite a bit. Players if they want to be part of the establishment and enjoy their piece of cake need to make many more sacrifices and compromises unlike in the past. The gentleman in the Gentleman's Game continues to be in some sort of a flux and is being constantly defined and redefined.
Let us wait and see whether the ICC and all the other national bodies of test playing countries can rescue the Gentleman's Game from being a mere money making hit and run gimmick.
Dr. Cajetan Coelho
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