South African cricket legend Graeme Smith has claimed that India took Test cricket seriously under the stewardship of Virat Kohli and said that the Indian team led the way in the longest format of the game during that time period.
Kohli had a successful time as the India captain and oversaw some famous Test series wins during his tenure, with the victory over Australia on their home turf being a standout moment.
Speaking on Sky Sports during the Test match between England and South Africa, as quoted by NDTV.com, Smith said that there are only a few nations that are contributing to the longest format of the game at the moment.
“With Test cricket, it’s just iconic nations or the big cricketing nations that are contributing to Test cricket at the moment,” said Smith.
The South African cricket legend continued and said that the Indian team under the captaincy of Kohli took Tests seriously and the nation led the way for others.
Smith also felt that the longest format of the game could get relegated to just five or six top teams rather than having more than 10.
“I think it’s fantastic especially under Virat Kohli that India really took Test cricket seriously. They lead the way with that.”
“But as long as we’ve got competitive teams, you’re not going to have 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14 competitive teams. You might only be down to five or six nations that play Test cricket at this level,” said Smith.
The former South African skipper also said that the investment made by the Indian franchises in Cricket South Africa’s new T20 League was something that the board desperately needed.
“It’s certainly going to be an investment into our game that South African cricket desperately needed.”
“The pressures on nations like New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa to stay financially sustainable to keep up with England, India, and the world game to stay competitive is hugely important.
“I don’t think world cricket can afford South Africa or any one of the top nations to start fading away,” said Smith.
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