Mohammad Azharuddin (4th left) poses with dignitaries on the sidelines of Camp with the Champ, a sports reality show cum talent-scouting programme.

Mohammad Abdullah, Senior Sports Reporter

Former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin underlined the importance of Test cricket in context with the fast changing face of the game.

Of late, cricket has witnessed the rise of the shorter formats with unprecedented success. The popularity of the shorter formats is gaining ground in such a way that it has given rise to a concern that Test cricket may become obsolete in the future.

Azharuddin, who made three consecutive centuries on his Test debut — earning him the titles like ‘Run Machine’ and ‘Wonder Boy’ – considered Test as the purest form of cricket.

“If Test cricket is over, everything will be over. You will not say one-day cricket, T20 cricket. Test cricket is the test of everybody. I don’t think Tests will ever die or become obsolete,” said Azhar, who was speaking on the sidelines of Camp with the Champ, a sports reality show cum talent-scouting programme launched by Sports Spirit Federation.

The camp will be held for three days from June 10-12. Aspiring cricketers will get a chance to learn the tricks of the trade from the masters of the game. The reality show will also give a peek into Azhar’s life beyond the boundaries.

“Test cricket still has a lot of fan following. Now India is going to play England, you will not get a single ticket. It is very difficult to get a ticket for a Test match at Lord’s or Melbourne.

“In India also, people come for the Test matches. It is not that we don’t get crowds. People are just embracing the change. But people who are diehard fans of the longest format of the game still want to see Test matches.

“I will want to be remembered as a Test cricketer, not a T20 player. A lot of boys feel that way. The ultimate goal should be to play Test cricket, not just T20s or T10.

“They should try to play for India. T20 is a good platform to showcase their talent. If you see a lot of players have come into the Indian team, it’s only because of T20 cricket,” added the former Indian batsman, who played in 334 ODIs and 99 Tests in a career spanning over one-and-a-half decades.

He also threw his weight behind the struggling Indian batsman, Virat Kohli.

“Kohli is a class act. Everyone goes through that phase in their career. There is nothing wrong with his technique. It is just a matter of time.

“Sometimes you need a bit of luck too. Playing too much cricket also takes its toll on the players. Once he gets a big score of 100 or 150, he will get his confidence back,” stressed Azhar.

Owing to his bad form, Kohli was removed from the captaincy of the Test and ODIs. He also stepped down from the captaincy of Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Kohli has not scored a century in any format of the game for almost three years. He has gone 71 matches without a century. He crossed the 50-run mark 22 times during this period but failed to convert them into a century.

In his glorious career of 15 years, Azhar’s most memorable win and the most disappointing loss came in back-to-back matches.

“Everybody knows it, loss against Sri Lanka in the semi-final of the 1996 World Cup was the most painful and heart-breaking. The sweetest victory of my career was our win against Pakistan in the quarter-final of the same tournament.

“It was a pressure-cooker game. We were under tremendous pressure. Everybody, even the waiters in the hotel were saying ‘sir’, we have to win tomorrow,” he informed.

He also advised the aspirants to push themselves outside of their comfort zones in order to achieve their objectives.

“Willpower and determination are very important. Of course, to get there, you need skill, but when skill fails, it is the will that takes you through. You cannot achieve anything by sitting in the comfort of your AC. You have to work hard and be persistent,” concluded the batting maestro.

Meanwhile, a total of 4 seasons of Camp with the Champ have been confirmed, according to the organisers, who added that other cricketing heroes are being invited to join Azharuddin on this journey of discovery for future seasons.

From each camp, one lucky player will also be selected to train with the Bangla Tigers team at the next edition of the Abu Dhabi T10, scheduled to take place at the end of the year.

There’s a cash prize of Dhs10,000 and a scholarship where one lucky player will also be awarded a chance to share the dressing room with international players in the Bangla Tigers AD T10 team.