Rahul Dravid disagrees with Jay Shah and BCCI’s new ‘incentive scheme’ for Test players

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah unveiled the ‘Test Cricket Incentive Scheme’, which offers players additional rewards beyond their regular match fees for participating in the longest format of the game.

Rahul Dravid disagrees with the term ‘incentive’ used by Jay Shah and BCCI

Rahul Dravid emphasized in a post-match press conference, “I really hope money is not going to be the incentive to play Test cricket. It is just nice that the hard work and how tough Test cricket can be is being recognised. I don’t see it as an incentive to make people play Test cricket I really hope not. I hope it never comes down to that. But I think it is nice to see that it is a tough format and it is a hard format.”

Rahul Dravid praised the exceptional performance of Ravichandran Ashwin, who celebrated his 100th Test match by claiming 9 wickets in the game. “Ashwin’s achievement is extraordinary; playing 100 Test matches demands a lot. Just as you’ve celebrated Ashwin today, and previously Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes, it’s evident that everyone acknowledges the difficulty and resilience required to excel in Test cricket.”

He continued, “We don’t commemorate 100 T20s in the same manner, do we? Yet, it’s commendable that the BCCI is acknowledging it. It’s not merely an incentive but a recognition. Despite this, I firmly believe that those who step onto the field for Test cricket do so out of genuine passion. It’s about acknowledging the demands of Test cricket, which are both challenging and gratifying.”

India clinched a resounding victory in the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala, defeating England by an innings and 64 runs, securing a 4-1 series triumph. This is India’s 17th consecutive Test series win at home, the most for any team. England, on the other hand, suffered their first Test series defeat under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.