Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has insisted that he doesn’t have any interest in watching the 50-over format anymore, adding that Test cricket is the main format and the International Cricket Council (ICC) needs to elevate the audience’s interest in the format.
Speaking exclusively to PTI, Bhajji has asserted that he loves India playing against Australia, England or South Africa in Test cricket. However, he is not interested in India playing Afghanistan or Sri Lanka, which don’t boast the format’s viewership anymore.
“I think international cricket should get more attention, because it is a fun of its own. If India is playing against Australia, England, or South Africa, I would love to watch it. I would pay money to go and watch Test cricket. I have absolutely no interest in ODI cricket, I have seen it and it is over. In my opinion, Test cricket is the main cricket, and whatever needs to be done to keep it alive, it should be done by the ICC and everyone else,” Harbhajan Singh told PTI.
“I think 70 percent of the transformation has already been done. If I talk about international cricket, if India plays against Australia, whether it be in Australia or India, there is viewership for that. But if India plays against Sri Lanka or Afghanistan, then that viewership is not there,” Harbhajan added.
Furthermore, the former Indian off-spinner has emphasized that international cricket has already taken a backseat a little due to the growth of the T20 format due to The Hundred, the Big Bash League and the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“But when it comes to The Hundred or the BBL, the grounds are full there. In the IPL, people are not able to get tickets. So, that culture has already developed, people’s interest is there for only those 2 months, so that shift has already arrived, international cricket has taken a backseat a little. To get it back to where it was, it might be a little difficult,” he concluded.
