IND vs AUS: "You Go To India Now And They Won’t Watch Test Cricket" - Ian Botham Blames IPL For Test Cricket Losing Popularity In India

Former England all-rounder Ian Botham has expressed concern over Test cricket dying in India with the rise in popularity of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Botham blamed the IPL for the Test match tickets getting unsold in India.

The IPL is undoubtedly the most popular franchise T20 competition in the world. Many cricketers from different countries aspire to play in the cash-rich tournament instead of playing for the national team. Since the start of IPL in 2008, many players have become T20 specialists.

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It Will Become Meaningless – Ian Botham

In a conversation with Mirror Sport, Ian Botham said that youngsters should prioritize the longer format of the game. The veteran cricketer has warned that if players lose interest in Test cricket, the format will cease to exist.

“You go to India now and they won’t watch Test cricket. It’s all IPL. They earn big money and it sounds great now, but how long do they think this is going to last? Test cricket has been around for 100 years plus, it’s not going to go anywhere. And if we do lose Test cricket, then we’ll lose cricket as we know it. It will become meaningless. To play a Test match is what every player should want to do.”

The 21-year-old England player Will Meade has quit red-ball cricket and signed a white-ball-only contract with Somerset. Australian cricketers Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Christian opted out of Test matches a long time ago.

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The Simple Reason He Thinks Ahead – Ian Botham

The former England captain has praised Australia batsman Steve Smith for opting to play county cricket for Sussex ahead of the next Ashes series in England. He compared it to Australia’s tour of India, where they will play four Test matches without a warm-up game before the tournament.

“To think that Australia go to India, they play four Tests over there with no warm-up game. They’ll play on totally different wickets to what they will in England, and the only player so far who realises that and has said ‘I’m going to play for Sussex’, is Steve Smith. Why’s he their best player? The simple reason he thinks ahead.”

Australia vice-captain Steve Smith will play three County Championship games for Sussex, ahead of this summer’s Ashes. Smith is set to play three County Championship matches against Worcestershire, Leicestershire, and Glamorgan, allowing one of Australia’s key players extra preparation in England before the Ashes.

Also read: ‘I Haven’t Got A Return Date’- Jonny Bairstow Sends Shockwaves With Announcement Over His International Future

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