Sachin Tendulkar reveals why Test cricket is losing popularity

Test cricket is losing follower all around the world except for in countries like Australia and England, where the longest format of the game still attracts numbers.

Cricketing boards across the globe are thus trying their best to level up this format of the game.

Sachin Tendulkar, the only cricketer to earn 200 Test caps has expressed his view on how due to the lack of head-to-head clashes between the batsmen and the bowlers is a key reason behind the decreasing numbers of the game.

According to the former Team India cricketer, this format of the game now lacks world-class fast bowlers, unlike the old days.

"Rivalries which people invariably looked forward to are no longer there because there are very few world-class fast bowlers right now. That element I am sure is missing. The quality of fast bowling can surely be better without any doubt," Tendulkar was quoted saying by PTI.

In the 970s and '80s, Dennis Lillee or Imran Khan, Tendulkar vs Wasim Akram Sunil Gavaskar vs Andy Roberts were some of the famous head-to-head encounters in Test cricket.

"The standard of cricket has gone down which is not great news for Test cricket. The standard needs to go up and for that, I would again say that the root cause is the playing surface. I think it has also got to do with the kind of pitches that are provided."

"If we provide fair pitches where fast bowlers, as well as spinners, get help, then the balance between bat and ball will be restored. If the balance is missing then the contest becomes weak and it fails to grab eyeballs. Test cricket must have good wickets," Sachin added.

He also spoke on the fact how in the Ashes 2019 series between England and Australia had one of the best surfaces to bowl.

"I feel this year's Ashes had some of the best Test pitches in recent times. Magnificent I would say."

"The only time they moved to Old Trafford, you saw that Test wasn't as exciting as the ones at the Headingley, or the Lord's Test or for that matter even the one at the Oval. I thought those Test matches were exciting," he said.