Can India-Pakistan Test matches become as big as the Ashes?

I understand that there are political issues involved, but cricket should never be held hostage to partisan grandstanding by selfish politicians on either side of the border. There are cricketer-turned-politicians in both countries. They should come together to ensure that India and Pakistan play each other as frequently as possible.

If India and Sri Lanka can play each other on an almost-weekly basis (at least that’s what it seems like) despite all the political issues between them, there’s no reason why India and Pakistan can’t.

Secondly, the number of draws is a problem. It hasn’t helped that a lot of Test cricket in the subcontinent tends to be draw-heavy. This has started to change in recent times at least in India, probably due to players playing more ODI cricket and pitches changing in character. Hopefully, if current trends continue, we will start seeing less draws in general.

Thirdly, and most importantly, it’s all about the branding. The Ashes (and it helps that it has a cool name) is hyped up to deafening levels in both England and Australia, especially since 2005. It is the one event in the cricket calendar that England ends up displaying the kind of cricket commercialism that can give India a run for its money (okay, maybe not so much).

We have seen that Indians are very good at marketing cricket; case in point – the IPL. Perhaps the same talent can be utilized in re-branding India-Pakistan Test cricket and making it a viable product that the public in both countries can get interested in watching. As an example, perhaps this series should be the first to feature day-night Test cricket. Crowds in India are much bigger for day-night cricket anyway. It is possible that an India-Pakistan Test series played in these conditions would generate the same crowds.

Test cricket may be waning in popularity in India, but not to the extent that people believe. Tests are now being played at non-traditional venues, which means less crowds for sure. But in traditional cricketing venues like Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi or Chennai, crowds are still decent. In any case, I don’t think Test cricket has suffered much in terms of TV ratings.

An India-Pakistan series played at traditional venues may just be the fillip Test cricket needs in India. It will definitely boost Test cricket in Pakistan – which perhaps needs a bigger boost than in India, given the fact that there has been no international cricket in Pakistan for four years, and that Pakistan are simply not producing Test-class batsmen like they used to.

Ind-Pak Test matches could reignite interest in Test cricket worldwide

While playing cricket in Pakistan may still be a problem due to security issues, the UAE is a decent option to play the Pakistan leg of the series in. As far as the crowds are concerned, Indo-Pak cricket in the 90s in Sharjah was famous for passionate crowds turning up in big numbers. It is not inconceivable that Indo-Pak cricket in the UAE would still attract the same following.

What’s more, a marquee Test series between India and Pakistan would be good for Test cricket worldwide. Let’s face it, the subcontinent is where the heart of cricket lies. It is the most popular sport in a land of 1.7 billion people. No other region at its best can provide that kind of support for cricket – definitely not England or Australia with a combined population of 75 million, where cricket is not even the number one sport.

As long as Test cricket stays alive in the subcontinent, it stays alive everywhere else.