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India may not be the country that appreciates Test cricket the most, according to Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant has never been shy about speaking his mind, and his latest comments on Test cricket's global standing are no exception. Asked directly whether passion for the longer format still matches what it once was, the India wicketkeeper gave a considered answer, built on years of travelling the world with the sport.
Speaking on the Business of Sport podcast, Pant discussed the state of Test cricket's appeal compared to the past. His answer named two specific countries and omitted his own. Given England's long calendar of Test cricket and India's gradual prioritisation of T20Is, Pant's statement carries added significance.
The comments themselves came during one of the more candid interviews Pant has given, one that also touched on his recovery from the 2022 car crash that nearly ended his career.
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What Rishabh Pant said about England and Australia
Pant did not hedge when asked which countries still carry genuine passion for Test cricket.
"See, the two places I can promise you that it's still there are, I think, England and Australia. They are the two places where the appreciation of the longer format of the game is at its highest," he said.
He explained what makes the format special in the first place.
"In that longer format, everything is tested: your discipline, your focus, your motivation, and your zeal. There are so many ups and downs in a single game. It tests you from inside out. It tests your character; it tests your mind," Pant said.
As someone whose performance with the bat has been in the longest format, it's not surprising to see how special Test cricket is for the keeper-batter.
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Pant continued, "There's so much that, just by observing the game, you can get out of a person. And that's why we call it the purest form of the game."
He also credited the World Test Championship for reviving interest in the format more broadly.
"Especially nowadays, with the WTC coming in and all the matches getting a result, I think the interest has actually come back to Test cricket and the longer format," Pant said.
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Pant is right, Test cricket is appreciated way more in Australia, England than in India
Pant's omission lands because the underlying claim actually holds up. Bar marquee series against Australia and England, India's Test grounds have repeatedly shown half-empty stands, even during genuinely gripping cricket, a pattern flagged by administrators and broadcasters for several years now.
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Compare that to county grounds in England or Australian Test venues, and you will notice venues that regularly sell out, even against sides with no historic rivalry attached. That's precisely why the gap Pant is describing is not invented.
Instead, it is measurable in ticket sales and broadcast ratings alike. The reason is structural, not because Indian fans care less about cricket. The IPL has absorbed the country's cricketing attention and disposable income so completely that Test cricket now competes for a much smaller share of the calendar.
Only the two-month T20 window of the IPL alone generates billions in broadcast revenue. What lends the comment its weight, rather than its controversy, is precisely who is saying it.
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Pant is not a retired commentator making a remark from a studio. Instead, he is someone who has played the longest format for nearly eight years now. And unless an honest look is taken at why that gap exists, it will only continue like this.
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