No home advantage at home: Ravi Ashwin urges India to lock 'main' Test venues
While he may not be the first to bring it up, Ravichandran Ashwin has reignited the spotlight on an interesting topic. During his tenure as India’s captain, Virat Kohli had spoken about designating fixed venues at home for red-ball cricket. However, Kohli’s stint as skipper ended, and now Rohit Sharma has stepped down as well, without the BCCI paying much attention to that suggestion. Following Shubman Gill and his team’s 2-0 sweep in the India vs West Indies Test series, Ravi Ashwin has once again revived the discussion.
Ravi Ashwin highlights the importance of identifying major Test venues across the nation following the India vs West Indies series
Amid the ongoing debate surrounding the poor turnout for the recently concluded two-match India vs West Indies, Ravichandran Ashwin has dismissed the popular notion that fans are losing interest in red-ball cricket. The series, held in Ahmedabad and Delhi, saw a tepid response at the Narendra Modi Stadium, while the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the national capital witnessed better attendance over the weekend.
According to Ravi Ashwin, the issue lies not with public interest but with the absence of consistent Test venues across India. The veteran spinner believes that establishing a set of dedicated Test centres will not only attract more crowds but also help Indian players develop greater familiarity with local conditions. He argued that only the venues offering the best red-ball pitches should be given the responsibility of hosting Test matches in India.
Ashwin’s comments came shortly after the hosts' clean sweep in the India vs West Indies series. The 37-year-old, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, made the point that playing within India’s borders does not automatically guarantee a “home advantage.” The team, he said, often finds itself playing in conditions that feel as foreign as those abroad due to India’s vast geographic diversity and variety of pitches.
India played the two Tests against the West Indies in Ahmedabad and Delhi and are set to face South Africa in another two-match series later this year in Kolkata and Guwahati. However, Ashwin expressed reservations about this rotational system of hosting games, suggesting that it dilutes India’s ability to capitalise on their traditional strengths.
“Test centres are not about crowds alone. It is also about familiarity of conditions. If we are playing a Test in Guwahati or Ranchi, I am not opposed to these venues as possibilities. But the problem in India is that every surface has a different identity. There is literally no bounce in the Eastern part of the country. It becomes a very ordinary Test match pitch then," Ashwin said.
“Make sure whichever Test centre you decide has the best pitches. Some venues are better than others only because the pitches are better and the team is used to the conditions. That is a home advantage. Otherwise, the only point is that you are playing within that Indian map and it is referred to as home, but it is not home,” he added.
He elaborated that when players compete at venues that rarely host red-ball matches, the side is unable to read the conditions or pitches as effectively. Familiarity, Ashwin explained, is key to dominating at home. The lack of continuity at specific venues, in his view, prevents the team from building a true sense of comfort or tactical preparedness.
The former off-spinner further highlighted that India’s diverse geography creates widely differing playing conditions, from spin-friendly surfaces in Chennai and Ahmedabad to pace-friendly tracks in Mohali and Kolkata. Grounds like Vizag and Dharamsala, meanwhile, tend to produce balanced wickets that bring both bowlers and batters into the contest.
“Eden Gardens, Guwahati, playing against South Africa there, should there be standard Test centres? Virat said years ago that they must be fixed. I personally think it’s about time. Why did we make Test centres? So more cricketers could emerge, and their associations would get more funding," said Ashwin. "But Guwahati as a Test match is not a home game for either team, and I don’t think anyone in the Indian team has played a first-class game in Guwahati,” added the spinner.
Ashwin also drew comparisons with other cricketing nations, pointing out that teams such as Australia and England carefully select venues that maximise their strengths whenever India tours there. He suggested that India should adopt a similar model by identifying and maintaining a handful of “main” Test centres to ensure consistent results and stronger home dominance.
"Should we have standard Test centres? They already exist in countries like Australia, England, and South Africa. These nations consistently use the same venues for Test cricket. In India, however, when you play in multiple Test centres, it doesn’t always feel like a home game for India," he concluded.
