Ben Stokes and Shubman Gill Advocate for Longer Test Intervals

London, Jul 30 (PTI) - On Wednesday, renowned cricketers Ben Stokes and Shubman Gill urged for extended intervals between Test matches. They pointed out that the current three-day break is insufficient for managing the heavy workload in a five-Test series, particularly for bowlers.

While there was a week-long respite after the first Test in Leeds and the third at Lord's, the schedule allowed only a three-day gap between the second and third matches and likewise between the fourth and fifth games.

This tight scheduling has resulted in limited recovery time for the players. Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the series finale owing to a right shoulder injury. Similarly, the Indian team has faced injuries among its pace bowlers.

Stokes noted on the eve of the fifth Test at The Oval, "Looking back at a five-game series, perhaps the gaps between games could be handled better. We've had two games with eight and nine-day breaks and two with just three days. Maybe having consistent four or five-day intervals would be more balanced."

"Both teams have found it quite challenging. It has involved a lot of bowling overs and extended time on the field, which is typical of the game. Instead of having 8/9 day rests followed by three-day gaps, perhaps we could adopt a four or five-day interval system," Stokes suggested.

Meanwhile, India captain Shubman Gill remarked that the fact all the games have extended to the full five days has exacerbated player fatigue.

"Interestingly, every match of the series has lasted till the final session of the fifth day. I can't recall another series where all four matches went down to the wire. It's definitely challenging," said Gill. He added, "A three-day turnaround doesn't suffice when teams are engaged in such intense cricket. We understand that extending breaks to five or six days would prolong the tour. So, yes, this scheduling is a decision taken by the boards."

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