Four-day Tests unfair on cricket's purest format, says Virat Kohli

It recently emerged that four-day Tests could become a mandatory part of the World Test Championship from 2023

Turning Test cricket into a four-day contest would be unfair on the international game’s oldest format, according to Virat Kohli.

The India captain has often spoken out in defence of Test cricket, most recently in the build-up to India’s first day-night Test against Bangladesh in November. He admitted then that he was wary of such games becoming a regular norm.

Then, after it emerged that four-day Tests could become a mandatory part of the World Test Championship from 2023, Kohli stated that he was against the idea.

Speaking ahead of India’s upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka, he said: “According to me, it should not be altered. As I said, the day-night is another step towards commercialising Test cricket and you know, creating excitement around it, but it can’t be tinkered with too much. I don’t believe so.

“Then you are purely only talking about getting numbers and entertainment. I think the intent will not be right because then you will speak of three-day Tests. I mean where do you end? Then you will speak of Test cricket disappearing.

“So, I don’t endorse that at all. I don’t think it is fair to the purest format of the game. How cricket started initially; five-day Tests was the highest of tests you can have at the international level.

“I was asked about the 100-ball format (The Hundred) and I said I am not going to go and try myself out in another kind of format because there’s already so much going on.”

^{Nathan Lyon has also spoken out against the idea of four-day Tests}

Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon echoed Kohli’s sentiments while speaking on The Unplayable Podcast. He added: “Ridiculous. You look at all the big games around the world and some of the best Test matches I've been part of, they go down to the last day.

“I'm not a fan of four-day Test matches. I believe you'll get so many more draws and day five is crucial. One, there's the weather element.

“But the wickets these days are probably a lot flatter than they have been in the past, so it allows teams to bat longer and to put pressure on sides. And you need that time for the pitch to deteriorate and bring spinners in more on day five as well.

“I'm totally against it and I really hope ICC aren't even considering it.”

Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts, though, admitted that the concept had to be ‘seriously considered’.

While some four-day Tests were played in Test cricket’s early days and then again in the 1970s, the ICC approved a request for a four-day game between South Africa and Zimbabwe in 2017 and they have been an option since. Ultimately, the Proteas – captained by AB de Villiers – would win inside just two days. England then beat Ireland inside three days at Lord's in 2019.