The early winter evening at the Ferozeshah Kotla in the Capital on Wednesday was about celebrating its greats as the two stands named after Bishan Singh Bedi and Mohinder Amarnath were unveiled two days ahead of the final Test against Sri Lanka.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli
raked up the most disturbing debate over the future of Test cricket. "I see only Unmukt Chand sitting here. But I want to tell all of the
young generation, please focus on the longer format of the game," Kohli
said.
"I believe Test cricket is paramount for the game to sustain globally. Test cricket is fighting for its survival at the moment. Youngsters need to take to Test cricket for it to survive, not only in our country but globally," he added.
Ahead of each of the two preceding Tests in the ongoing series, the
skipper has highlighted the need to think about the fans while playing
one particular team very frequently, and the cramped schedule which
hinders his team's preparations for a big series.
"In our days, Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy were stairs to the national team. But these days, the young boys look at these tournaments only as a means to get a lucrative IPL contract. If you are not playing for the Indian team, you should be playing Ranji trophy. It's sad to see India players have started avoiding Ranji Trophy," Bedi made his point.
"I may not agree with some of Virat's gestures on field but I have not
seen someone more intense than Virat on the field. He will mellow down
for sure but how much I have learnt watching Virat is unreal," Bedi
stated.
