“Are the players motivated enough?”: Ashwin raises alarm as Test cricket fights for survival

Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes the future of Test cricket depends on first-class cricket being attractive enough to young players. Speaking at the 2026 Cricinfo Honors Awards, Ashwin argued that the issue of preserving red-ball cricket goes far beyond India and is a problem facing the global game.His comments come at a time when the Indian Test side is going through a difficult phase. Consecutive home defeats to New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa in 2025 raised serious concerns about the team’s performance in the longest format. The loss to New Zealand was particularly significant as it ended India’s 12-year unbeaten streak at home. Apart from a hard-earned 2-2 series draw in England, India have struggled to find consistency in Test cricket in the last two years.The decline coincided with the departure of several devotees. Ashwin himself, along with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, left the format, leaving the team in a rebuilding phase under Shubman Gill.Ashwin, after being named among the 25 best cricketers of the century, emphasized the need to make domestic red-ball cricket more rewarding for budding players.“First-class cricket has to be attractive enough for the players. The BCCI has tried to revamp the wage structure, but I don’t think Test cricket is just an Indian problem, it’s a global problem. Are the players motivated enough to take up the red-ball game?”Ashwin noted that the demands of Test cricket go far beyond what the fans see on the field. The physical and mental demands of playing five-day matches, combined with extensive travel and the constant need to regenerate, can make the format a challenging career choice.“That’s a tough proposition when players can play for a few months and make a pretty good living. That said, having played Test cricket and put my body on the line, I can say there’s nothing like the feeling at the end of a hard Test match. There’s no substitute. And if you’re serious about Test cricket, young cricketers should be groomed by a bit of old-fashioned coaching,” he said.Ashwin retired as one of India’s most successful Test cricketers. In 106 Tests, he scored 3,503 runs at an average of 25.75, including six centuries and 14 half-centuries, with a top score of 124. He took 537 wickets with the ball at an average of 24.00, taking 37 five-wicket hauls and eight ten-wicket hauls.He remains India’s second highest wicket-taker in Test cricket and is widely regarded as one of the best spinners the country has produced.