As the Champions League Twenty20 increases its volume on television and its presence in print, Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar believes that the new appetite for T20 need not be feared by those who prefer older formats of cricket.
In an exclusive interview to India Today, Tendulkar said there were people taking to and enjoying T20, "because it is exciting. They don't understand the game, but the atmosphere is such that they want to be part of it and it is fantastic for the game. You want as many people inside the stadium as possible".
This new surge in demand would not, he said, lead to fearing the future of Tests, "I'd say probably even Test cricket is changing. Now very rarely will you see three maiden overs in a row… five-six dot balls and in the next one the batsman will probably walk across and do something to ease the pressure."
Tendulkar, the world's most prolific record-holder in Tests and ODIs called the recent changes in cricket a "progression" for the sport. In his view, it was acceptable, "as long Test cricket doesn't get neglected. The innovations are going to be there."
It was not merely T20 that had, according to Tendulkar, become the format that allowed for change in cricket saying that even in one-day internationals, "people play over the keeper's head and past short fine leg and play reverse sweep to bowlers. It makes the game exciting… fast."
The cricketer who is now into his 20th international season said cricket would be okay if "we respect formats and keep our thoughts and expectations for one particular format. There is no mixing of formats because then there are always going to be bumpy rides."
