Legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev has rated Test cricket as the "ultimate"
but said it was fine to play the shorter versions -- the one-dayers and the twenty20s
-- to generate funds for keeping the five-day matches alive.
"As long as Test cricket remains in the world, I think it is the ultimate.
And if you have to play Twenty20 and 50-over cricket to generate money to play
Test cricket, I think that is fine," Kapil said.
The former Indian captain said the International Cricket Council
should also keep in mind the interest of Tests before making the
calender.
"The ICC should always make a calendar which keeps Test
cricket alive. It is the ultimate test for a cricketer of class," he was
quoted as saying by 'The Guardian'.
Kapil, who led India to 1983 World Cup glory, praised
the 50-overs a side game for making cricket more result oriented and doing away
with the mindset of draw.
"They used to say that the 50-over game was pyjama cricket
and just slogging and eventually it became much bigger than Test cricket.
"I think one-day cricket has helped Test cricket with
the fielding, running between the wickets and people getting in the habit of
winning and losing matches.
"The mindset of the draw has gone, it's now a case of
'Let's win it'. It has led to far more results in Test cricket in the last 10
years."
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