Test Twenty five years from now

Test Twenty

How many cricketers in the WPL have played in the Test Twenty competition in the last few years asked the journalist from the Times. Gaurav Bahirvani, relaxed and satisfied with how the format has become all encompassing, takes a deep breath before saying, “I haven’t kept a tab on the number. Numbers don’t mean much to me. Quality does. If these girls believe that they have improved as cricketers because of the parity rule, that they are now being called to WPL trials for having been a part of the Test Twenty, I’d consider it a job well done”. 

This is the biggest positive from the format in the last five years. When it started in 2026, a number of questions confronted it. How will the world look at parity? How can the format go beyond mere tokenism and become more meaningful and how can it actually empower women? How will the men take to a format that advocates men and women to be equal stakeholders? 

In fact, there were other questions also. How will men take women in a leadership role? How will the 20 overs each for red and white ball per innings work? Will it actually help make for better red ball cricketers?

At the time in 2026 we did not have answers. In fact, there were many more questions than answers. Where should the tournament be held? How will it be accepted and how will the young men and women who play regard it going forward?

All the answers or at least most of them are in front of us now. It has helped empowerment, the percentage of women players have grown exponentially over time and women have taken to the format in a huge way. A number of these players now play the WPL and in that sense have been coopted by the system. Some of them are in leadership roles and the Test Twenty experience has helped. The format has now become well and truly global and multiple countries now want to stage it. Most importantly, that gender equality can be a feature of the cricket field is now an accepted reality. 

The journey, however, isn’t over yet. While the format is now a proven success story, it is time to scale up. It is time to nurture the dream and give people more opportunity. As we mention this to Gaurav Bahirvani, he smiles. It is suggestive. And yes he and his team won’t stop soon enough.  

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The post Test Twenty five years from now appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.



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