"Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli have been great supporters and promoters of Test cricket in recent times" - Mark Taylor
Former Australia captain Mark Taylor expressed his fear over how the T20 internationals are gaining more precedence over the traditional format of the game. He believes that money plays a huge role in players making their decisions.
Taylor wants the governing bodies to implement actions that will make Test cricket financially rewarding.
Taylor praised Team India head coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli for advocating the longest format of the game. While speaking to World Wide of Sports, Taylor said:
"(India coach) Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli (have) been great supporters and promoters of Test cricket in recent times."
"I think Virat has been excellent in that regard, really wanting to play Test cricket, prioritising the game. But the worry will be how long it continues for," he added.
The cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) has shouldered plenty of blame following the cancelation of the fifth Test match between India and England.
You can catch the latest IPL 2021 points table here.
If similar things happened in the IPL, I would like to see similar action taken by the players: Mark Taylor
Taylor added that in a case where the health of the player could be affected by playing in such a compromised environment, the abandonment of the match is justified.
But he also wishes to believe that the IPL did not play a role in the player's decision not to take the field.
He noted that he wishes to see a similar kind of response from the players in case an instance similar to England's bio-bubble breach happens in the IPL. Taylor added:
"When players make a stance against that we all understand that, we do, and we understand that health comes first. But people have to look after the health of the game."
"It puts pressure on the game of Test cricket in particular, and then you've got a game of T20, a domestic series coming up that all those players want to play. We've got to be careful, the players have to be careful that they send a consistent message. If similar things happened in the IPL I would like to see similar action taken by the players," he said.
t As per the IPL 2021 schedule, he second half of the IPL will commence from September 19 in the UAE. However, the fate of the Test series that hangs in the balance is yet to be taken with both the cricketing boards in talks.