The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is mulling a plan to hike Test match fees in addition to offering an additional incentive. This is an attempt on part of the Indian cricket Board to attract players to the game’s traditional format especially after India players like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan refused to take part in domestic cricket. The mean reason was that they wanted to focus on preparation ahead of the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Even though there were several warnings issued to players like Kishan and Iyer by BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, they remained adamant on sticking to preparing for the IPL by playing white-ball cricket. Several reports even suggested that both the players could even face an axe from the BCCI’s list of centrally contracted players.

As far as the current scheme of things is concerned, a player earns Rs 15 lakh as match fees per Test. The match fee for an ODI is Rs 6 lakh and for T20I it’s Rs 3 lakh. However, a report carried by Indian Express now claims that the pay structure for the longest format may see a massive change. Meanwhile, players who feature in every Test series for India in a calendar year will also get an additional bonus, in addition to the central contract fees.

“For example, if someone plays all Test series in a calendar year, he should be rewarded additionally, apart from the annual retainer contract. This is to ensure that players turn out for more red-ball cricket. This would be an additional perk for playing Test cricket,” a source told the Indian Express.

Will Give Opportunity Only To Players Who Have That Hunger: Rohit Sharma

Interestingly, India captain Rohit Sharma had also hinted at not giving chances to players who are not hungry in the game’s purest format.

“This (Test cricket) is the toughest format. And if you want success and want to excel in this tough format then you need that hunger. It is very important. We will give opportunity only to players who have that hunger. You come to know the players who don’t have that hunger or players who don’t want to stay here,” Rohit said at the post-match press conference after India beat England by 5 wickets in the fourth Test match in Ranchi.