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Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s premier off-spinner, addressed the ongoing debate about the number of Test cricket centres in India to the press after the conclusion of the second Test match against Bangladesh, acknowledging that having fewer venues could benefit players of the Indian cricket team. However, the 38-year-old also emphasized that it's not his place to make a judgment on the matter despite sharing other examples to the contrary.
The debate on Test centres started again after Kanpur’s Green Park was criticized for its poor drainage, causing a loss of two and a half days worth of play in the second Test between India and Bangladesh. However, despite this, India won the Test by seven wickets after a dominating performance with both bat and ball, finishing with over one and a half sessions left on the final day, with Ravichandran Ashwin taking home the player of the series award.
When we go to Australia, they play India only at five Test centres: Ravichandran Ashwin
After this historic win over Bangladesh on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, Ravichandran Ashwin said that countries like Australia and England play Test matches at a limited number of venues, which helps players get used to those conditions. He remarked, as per Times of India, "When we go to Australia, they play India only at five Test centres. They don't play us in Canberra. They don't play us at any of the other venues where they won't be very familiar with the conditions. So do England. They have select test centres, and that's where they play. Some of those are only white-ball centres. Can we do it here (in India)? That's above my pay grade. I cannot comment on that.”
However, Ashwin also highlighted the benefits of having many Test centres across India. He pointed out that certain things, like good weather and proper drainage, are important for hosting Test matches. “These are no-brainers,” the off-spinner stated, emphasizing that the facilities should always be kept to a high standard.
Ravichandran Ashwin was quoted as saying, "The second of it is there are certain requisite ingredients that go into making a Test match happen. Like, for the weather and the kind of drainage that we need to be able to invest on. These are no-brainers," making it clear that there should not be any compromise on required facilities.
