Questions linger over the format's feasibility but for now, the five-day game is enjoying a fine run in Australia. The MCG contest will only ramp up the expectationsMELBOURNE: The 'G' is calm. The picturesque Yarra Park offers shady trails and a pleasant afternoon breeze. In the distance, Melbourne's famous trams roll by. They are the soul of this city's public transport, not relics of a bygone era like elsewhere. People walk their dogs. An old lady sits on a bench, reading a book. Even the usually frenzied cyclists take a minute to slow down and soak in the vibe. In the distance, there's the sound of bat on ball.
A nets session is on. The players are dressed in Test-match whites. It's open to public viewing. The superstars are training. There are people watching but there's no heckling, no mad rush for a glimpse. The pace is unhurried.
It's the calm before the storm. Come Thursday, for the first time in an Australian summer, the 90,000-capacity colosseum that is the Melbourne Cricket Ground will see a full house for a Boxing Day Test. Across this rare five-Test series, it has seemed as if the crowds just can't stop pouring in. Even in Brisbane, where rain marred the contest on all days, the Gabba notched up the highest total attendance for a non-Ashes Test at 91,195.
Earlier, Adelaide broke the record for an India-Australia Test match as 1,35,012 total spectators turned up for the pink-ball Test. In Perth, the opening two days broke attendance records.
It's become fashionable to run the Test format down but talk to young fans across venues and there's no moaning over the format's length. Here, during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it's a good time to be a cricket traditionalist. Yet, peel away the layers and concerns linger over the future. This is a marquee series between two top teams on a strong financial footing and boasting a rich tradition. Even here, though, in the commentary boxes, in the members' stands, among the top cricket brains soaking in the action, there are murmurs of concern.
Why are only the top teams playing so many Tests? Why are there so many uneven contests? Why is the format being allowed to fade away in the poorer cricketing nations? Why is it so hard to prepare a perfect Test-match pitch these days? Why aren't players playing out sessions anymore? Should there be four-day Tests? And most important of all, will the format still be financially viable if India loses interest?
Through the course of this series, the questions have always lingered, and some of Australia's top cricketing minds have weighed in on the issue. Greg Chappell, former India coach, former Australia captain, has taken the pragmatic view. He believes it's a blessing, not a curse, that the big teams are playing the most Tests.
"It's important for India, South Africa, Australia, England to at least keep playing Test cricket, otherwise the T20 format can completely take over," he said. "The top players still love playing Tests, but it's the rung just below that which is vulnerable. These players can play 20-over cricket, even 50-overs, but Tests are sometimes too hard for them. We forget how hard it is to actually play Test cricket."