It was October 2019 when the then-India skipper Virat Kohli openly vouched for having just five Test centres in the country. Six years have passed, but there is no such thing as a unified Indian cricket team, as the BCCI has its hands full keeping all state associations happy and satisfied. Amid the growing chatter about the low audience turnout for the recently concluded two-Test series between India and the West Indies, Ravichandran Ashwin has once again flouted this theory.
The two Tests between India and the West Indies were played in Ahmedabad and Delhi. The Narendra Modi Stadium witnessed a lacklustre turnout, while the Arun Jaitley Stadium did see decent audience attendance over the weekend.
However, former India spinner Ashwin believes that the introduction of standard Test centres will help Indian players become more familiar with the conditions, apart from the crowd turning up to the ground. He said that centres that have the best pitches should be awarded Test status in India.
“Test centres are not about crowds alone. It is also about familiarity of conditions. If we are playing a Test in Guwahati or Ranchi, I am not opposed to these venues as possibilities. But the problem in India is that every surface has a different identity. There is literally no bounce in the Eastern part of the country. It becomes a very ordinary Test match pitch then," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat'.
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“Make sure whichever Test centre you decide has the best pitches. Some venues are better than others only because the pitches are better and the team is used to the conditions. That is a home advantage. Otherwise, the only point is that you are playing within that Indian map and it is referred to as home, but it is not home,” he added.
Ashwin agrees with Virat
{{/usCountry}}“Make sure whichever Test centre you decide has the best pitches. Some venues are better than others only because the pitches are better and the team is used to the conditions. That is a home advantage. Otherwise, the only point is that you are playing within that Indian map and it is referred to as home, but it is not home,” he added.
Ashwin agrees with Virat
{{/usCountry}}The former India spinner, who announced his retirement from international cricket in December 2024, also raised questions over Guwahati hosting the upcoming Test between India and South Africa, saying even the home players wouldn't be aware of what sort of conditions to expect.
“Eden Gardens, Guwahati – playing against South Africa there, should there be standard Test centres? Virat said years ago that they must be fixed. I personally think it’s about time. Why did we make Test centres? So more cricketers could emerge, and their associations would get more funding," said Ashwin.
"But Guwahati as a Test match is not a home game for either team, and I don’t think anyone in the Indian team has played a first-class game in Guwahati,” added the spinner, who represented the country in 106 Tests.
With a 2-0 series win over the West Indies, India consolidated its position at the third spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 cycle. The series between India and South Africa will now begin on November 14.