David Gower, Virat Kohli
David Gower. (Photo by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images for ECB)

India’s captain Virat Kohli had recently said that Test cricket is his favourite format. The Indian skipper had put his weight behind the longest format of the game. Kohli has been a consistent performer for his team and it is crucial for the world-class player to back the most pristine version of the game. The talisman had also backed the upcoming Test championship which should great for the game. Thus, former England batsman David Gower is happy with the perspective of Virat Kohli.

Gowar believes it is imperative that the red ball version is backed by the best batsman in the world. Kohli has been a consistent batsman in all the three forms of the game and Gowar believes it is good that Kohli is backing the game to the hilt.

Virat Kohli | Adam Gilchrist | India vs Australia 2018
Getty Images

Kohli has backed Test cricket.

Meanwhile, India and England had a good Test series recently in which the hosts won by 4-1. There were two tight games which could have gone either way and David Gower said the series was closer than what the scoreline suggested.

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“We had a fantastic series against India, closer than the margin suggests,” said Gower, one of the leading Test batsmen of his era, during the inaugural Ranji Memorial Public Conversation on Cricket in London.

“It is a reflection of the balance of power if Virat says that — you’ve got a lot of people who will listen,” explained Gower.

Farokh Engineer | Australia vs India 2018 |
Farokh Engineer. Credit: Getty Images

On the other hand, the T20 format and IPL have had its impact on the game. The players are been trying all sort of shots. Thus, former Indian wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer believes India has become blindfolded by the shortest format.

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“India has been sort of blinded by the T20, the IPL,” said Engineer, speaking alongside Gower. “Your first priority is to play for your country and then the riches will come automatically.”

Meanwhile, Mushtaq Mohammad who was sitting alongside Engineer believes the red ball version should be made more affordable to the general public.

“If you want Test cricket to survive you’ve got to reduce the entrance fee. Open the gates, let the people come in, make it affordable.”

As these former players mentioned, it is crucial to preserve Test cricket. It is the purest format of the game and the players should be hungry to play it more.

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