"First class cricket needs to be attractive...": Ashwin on where India needs to improve in Test cricket
Mumbai, June 5
Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin said that for India to improve in Test cricket, first-class cricket should be attractive enough for players to take it up, and the problem about incentivising the longest format is a global one, rather than being restricted to India.
Ashwin was speaking on Cricinfor Honours Awards 2026. The question comes when India's Test cricket performances are in crisis. In back-to-back years, 2024 and 2025, India has suffered morale-shattering whitewash losses to New Zealand and South Africa at home, with the former ending India's home dominance of 12 years. Other than a valiant 2-2 draw against England away from home, there has been very little to cheer up Indian fans in the longest format.
India's poor Test performances over the past two years have also led to the retirement of stalwarts like Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara one by one, leaving India in a state of transition with Shubman Gill as the captain.
Speaking at the Cricinfo Honours Awards, where Ashwin was included among the top 25 cricketers of this century, Ashwin said that, "First-class cricket needs to be attractive enough for players to take up. The BCCI has made an attempt by revamping the salary structure, but I don't think Test cricket is just India's problem, it is a global one. Are players being incentivised enough to take up the red-ball game?."
Ashwin also pointed out the on-field, travel and off-field toil of Test cricket, which leaves players with a need to recover constantly.
"That is a tough proposition when players can play for a couple of months and pretty much earn a good living. That said, having played Test cricket and put my body on the line, I can say that nothing compares to the feeling at the end of a hard-fought Test match. Nothing can replace it. And if you are serious about Test cricket, young cricketers should be groomed by slightly old-fashioned coaches," he signed off.
In 106 Tests for India, Ashwin scored 3,503 runs at an average of 25.75, with six centuries and 14 fifties, with a best score of 124. He also took 537 wickets at an average of 24.00, including 37 five-fors and eight ten-wicket hauls.
He is India's second-highest Test wicket taker and one of the country's most well-decorated all-rounders.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Ashwin makes a valid point about the global nature of the problem, but I think India's case is unique because of the sheer volume of white-ball cricket and the IPL machine. Our players are conditioned for T20 from a young age. The BCCI needs to create separate red-ball academies with old-school coaches, like Ashwin suggested.
As someone who follows both Indian and Australian cricket, I think Ashwin is spot on. But I'd add that it's not just about incentive - it's about respect for the format. In Australia, first-class cricket still has cultural cachet. In India, it's seen as a chore before the IPL auction. That mindset needs to change from the grassroots up.
While I respect Ashwin's legendary career, I think we need to be careful about blaming 'first-class cricket' alone. Our Test batting technique has been exposed big time - look at how many times we've been bowled out under 200 recently. You can have the best domestic structure, but if batters can't play the moving ball or spinners on turning tracks, nothing will save us.
Ashwin is a legend, no doubt. But his comments feel a bit like 'told you so' after our Test struggles. The reality is simpler - our batting lineup doesn't have the patience or technique anymore. Kohli, Pujara, Rahane all aged out, and we haven't groomed proper replacements. First-class cricket reform is a 10-year plan, but we need results now.
From an outsider's perspective, I find it interesting that Ashwin mentions the 'global problem' narrative. In England, the County Championship also struggles for attention, but at least players there still value the red-ball game. India's
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