Former England captain Graham Gooch believes the intense five-match Test series between India and England is crucial for the future of Test cricket, while expressing concerns about the format’s sustainability if it remains dominated by just the “big three” nations – India, England, and Australia. Speaking on the sidelines of the fifth Test in London, the 72-year-old cricket legend emphasized the need for the ICC to support financially weaker cricket nations to ensure Test cricket’s survival beyond the major powers.The current trend shows most Test cricket being played between India, England, and Australia in five-match series, while financially weaker nations like West Indies, South Africa, and New Zealand typically participate in shorter two or three-match series.“I think the ICC needs to look at Test cricket and need to look at how they can support the less financially well-off countries. I won’t say smaller countries, but less financially (well off),” Gooch told PTI.
“Because you’ve got to preserve Test cricket. You can’t just play three teams. If other teams, like New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa, play less and less Test cricket, no one will have anyone to play against. So they’ve got to support the game on a whole,” said Gooch, who scored 8900 Test runs for England.Gooch praised the quality of cricket displayed in the current India-England series, noting its importance for the Test format.“It’s been an amazing series and really, really good for Test Cricket. Because we know that franchise cricket is all over the place in the world and Test cricket is under pressure,” Gooch stated.Despite the retirements of veteran players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Gooch expressed confidence in India’s new generation of cricketers.
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“Look, one door closes, another one opens. You can’t expect, great players or any players to play on forever. There is a time when they decide that they’ve had enough or come to retirement or whatever. Those two players you mentioned, have been wonderful servants for India and for our great game. It’s time for other people to step in. I think the young Indian players have done brilliantly,” he remarked.Gooch particularly praised Indian captain Shubman Gill, who has scored 754 runs in the series, approaching Sunil Gavaskar’s all-time Indian record.“The captain’s an outstanding player. I think his technique is superb. His concentration and his temperament over this series has been brilliant. You’ve got to remember that your job, or his job, is to score runs. He’s not put in the team just to be captain. He’s in the team to score runs,” Gooch commented.The former England captain addressed England’s dependence on Ben Stokes, whose absence in the final Test affected the team’s bowling capabilities.“Stokes, to me, has been a phenomenon this season. I mean, he’s a key player for England because he balances the side. If he doesn’t play, England have to go a batsman down. And if they go a batsman down, we’re not good enough to have four bowlers. We need five bowlers. To have a four-bowler bowling attack, in my opinion, you need two world-class bowlers. And England don’t have that at the moment,” he explained.Gooch drew parallels between Stokes and India’s Mohammed Siraj for their dedicated bowling performances.“Siraj, I’ve got a lot of time for him. Very passionate, puts it in every time. And Ben Stokes is a similar sort of character. When he walks across the white line, he empties the tank. You understand what I mean by that. He doesn’t leave anything behind. He gives it everything,” Gooch said.Regarding the on-field tensions during the series, Gooch viewed them as natural outcomes of competitive cricket.“There’s a lot of passion in international cricket when you’re playing against a country, when the series is very competitive and very tight. And sometimes, tempers flare a little bit and things are said that maybe you regret. But, it all happens in the spur of the moment. And I think it’s two teams going very hard at each other and trying to win the game. I don’t think it’s carried on afterwards,” he concluded.