‘Don't think IPL is everything in your life’ - Aakash Chopra decodes BCCI’s new Test incentive policy

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra expects that BCCI’s new Test incentive policy will bring back attention to the longest format of the game. He explained that due to IPL, the youngsters were focusing too much on franchise cricket as it often provides a better opportunity to earn more money. However, with the Test incentive policy, the situation is about to change as the players can earn the same or at times even more than what they can earn through playing in the IPL.

After the recent saga with Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, BCCI asked all the cricketers to focus on domestic cricket and not to miss any match without any explanation. The idea behind introducing Test incentive is to promote red-ball cricket in India, so that, the youngsters of the upcoming generation equally focus on the longest format and not just white-ball cricket. Chopra explained that money is a motivating factor and if BCCI invests cash in Test cricket, youngsters would be interested to play.

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“Money is a motivating factor. When the IPL money is publically discussed so much, the upcoming generation already starts thinking that they have to play the IPL because you get a lot of money there. You will get the same amount of money in Test cricket now and you will get even more at times,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

“So now it has been said that don't think IPL is everything in your life. It is a good tournament but the attempt is that you shouldn't prioritise it and that you won't miss India's Test matches," he added.

Thumbs up with both hands for this thinking: Chopra

Chopra believes that BCCI has made a fantastic decision and added that no other board invests so much money in Test cricket. He added that players earning INR 60 lakh per match is historic and he supports that decision.

“I am saying thumbs up with both hands for this thinking from the BCCI. Sixty lakh rupees per Test match - to date no country has given as much money to play Test cricket as India have decided to give, provided you play more than 75% of the matches for India in that season,” he noted.