New Delhi, Aug. 3: Former India batsman Sanjay Manjerkar on Tuesday said Test cricket is an “outdated concept” and it is time to take Twenty20 cricket more seriously.
“Test cricket is an outdated concept. We should be realistic and stop downplaying T20 format,” Manjerkar said.
The former India batsman described Twenty20 cricket as an excellent platform for youngsters and felt it should be taken “more seriously”.
“It’s for the viewers to decide. If you are liking the T20 matches more than the India-Sri Lanka Tests, then there should be more IPL matches. Because we are just responding to the market,” Manjerkar, who played 37 Tests between 1987 and 1997 for India, said.
“IPL was successful because the quality was there, you had players like Sachin and Warne. So it is not necessarily only about hitting the ball,” he added.
However, the 45-year-old cricketer said that packaging also played an important role in its success, mentioning the involvement of Bollywood star like Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta. “A similar attempt has been made in Champions League with Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador,” he said.
Manjrekar felt the success of the forthcoming T20 Champions League (CLT20) entirely depends on how the IPL teams perform as it is the Indian audience that will decide the success of the tournament.
“The problem is that Indian people don’t love world cricket, they love Indian cricket. So the Indian IPL teams have to do well,” he said.