Following India’s defeat against England, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) general secretary Jay Shah on Saturday announced a Test Cricket Incentive Scheme for the senior men’s team that will provide players with incentives beyond regular matches. Additional incentive to play in the longest format of the game. Shah announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the incentive will serve as an “additional reward structure” on top of the players’ existing match fee of Rs 15 lakh. The move will provide “financial growth” and “stability” for athletes passionate about one of the most respected forms of sport.

“I am delighted to announce the launch of the ‘Test Cricket Incentive Scheme’ for senior men, a move aimed at providing financial growth and stability to our esteemed players. From the 2022-23 season, the ‘Test Cricket Incentive Scheme’ will serve as The additional incentive structure on top of the existing match fees for Test matches has been set at INR 15 lakh,” Shah posted.

I am pleased to announce the launch of the Test Cricket Incentive Scheme for Senior Men, a move designed to provide financial growth and stability to our esteemed players. From the 2022-23 season, the Test Cricket Incentive Scheme will serve as an additional… pic.twitter.com/Rf86sAnmuk

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) March 9, 2024

Later, after the fifth Test match between India and England, commentator Harsha Bhogle mentioned that the BCCI had set an additional Rs 40 crore for Test cricket.

Assuming there are at least nine Test matches in a season, players whose appearance rate is below 50% or who play fewer than four matches will not be eligible for the scheme.

Players who play 5-6 Test matches (more than 50%) will get an incentive of Rs 30 lakh per match if they play 11 matches, and Rs 15 lakh per match if they do not play 11 matches.

Players who participate in more than 7 matches (more than 75%) will be rewarded with Rs 45 lakh per match if they play 11 matches and Rs 22 lakh per match if they do not play 11 matches.

The move reflects the Board’s commitment to retaining and valuing the oldest form of the game. In recent weeks, the board has urged players to play more red-ball cricket, whether at the international or domestic level, as they have observed that many players have started prioritizing the Indian Premier League (IPL) over red-ball cricket.

Shah was quoted by ESPNCricinfo as saying that in early February, “a trend has started to emerge that is worrying. Some players have started prioritizing the IPL over domestic cricket, an unanticipated shift. Domestic cricket has been is the foundation of Indian cricket and its value has never been underestimated in our vision for the game.”

The BCCI secretary further said that the board had a clear vision from the beginning that anyone who aspires to play for India should play domestic cricket first.

“It must be recognized that domestic cricket is the backbone of Indian cricket and the feeder of Team India. Our vision for Indian cricket has been clear from the beginning – every cricketer who aspires to play for India must Prove yourself in domestic cricket “Performance in domestic cricket remains an important criterion for selection and non-participation in domestic cricket will have serious repercussions,” the board secretary added.