Lalit Modi, former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman, who is known for making bold comments, has once again made a controversial statement. The founder of the cash-rich league has suggested that an IPL-like model could be the only way to save Test cricket in the age of fast-paced cricket.
Modi, speaking to former England captain Michael Vaughan, also opened up on the growing interest in T20 cricket across the globe, the irrelevance of One-Day Internationals in today’s era.
He expressed his liking for Test cricket, labelling it as the purest form of the game and credited England and Australia for keeping the flame of Test cricket alive through Ashes.
“I hope Test cricket survives because I love the format. One-Day Internationals are completely irrelevant. It makes no sense, mainly because there is an ever-shorter format in T20 cricket. It’s not about the money anymore; it’s about whether you can sustain loyalty from the crowd. When you look at the generation growing up now, unfortunately they are not experiencing real Test cricket anywhere except in Australia and England,” Lalit Modi said during an interaction with Vaughan on The Overlap Cricket podcast.
Lalit Modi’s bold vision: An IPL model for Test cricket survival
Modi also proposed privatisation of Test cricket and suggested an IPL-like model, which would attract more youngsters to take up red-ball cricket.
“I’ll say something controversial – the only way Test cricket can survive is if IPL teams own Test teams. I might get shot for saying this, but it’s the first time I’m saying it publicly. You have the youngsters and, more importantly, the loyalty factor,” the 62-year-old said.
Aim should be to attracting young fans to red-ball cricket: Lalit Modi
He also suggested that Test cricket should ditch the traditional five-day format and turn into a four-day day-night contest to attract more interest as no longer the audience wants to spend four days sitting in the sun to watch slow-paced action.
“I’ve been saying this since 2007 that Tests should be turned into a four-day game and played day-night because people today don’t have the luxury to spend four days sitting in the sun. Those were the good old days, when there was one television channel and Test cricket was rare. Now, with media so easily accessible, every match around the world is available at the click of a button,” he added.