"It is just a reward and not an incentive": Rahul Dravid on BCCI's Test cricket scheme

Dharamsala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 9 (ANI): After the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 'Test Cricket Incentive Scheme' for the senior men's team, which will give players extra incentive other than the usual match fees for taking part in the longest format of the game, India head coach Rahul Dravid emphasised that it was more of a reward from the country's cricket governing body.
The BCCI secretary on Saturday, Jay Shah announced the 'Test Cricket Incentive Scheme' for the senior men's team, which will give players extra incentive other than the usual match fees for taking part in the longest format of the game.
"I really hope money is not going to be the incentive to play Test cricket. It is just nice that the hard work and how tough Test cricket can be is being recognised. I don't see it as an incentive to make people play Test cricket I really hope not. I hope it never comes down to that. But I think it is nice to see that it is a tough format and it is a hard format," Rahul Dravid said in a post-match press conference.
A five-wicket haul on his 100th Test by Ravichandran Ashwin broke the back of England's batting line-up, handing the Three Lions' 'Bazball' school of cricket a blow as India won the Test by an innings and 64 runs at Dharamshala.
Applauding Ashwin's performance, who played his 100th Test and claimed 9 wickets in the match, Dravid said, "It takes a special person to do what Ashwin has done, play 100 Test matches go through a lot. You guys celebrated Ashwin today and celebrated Jonny Bairstow, and Ben Stokes a few games ago because all of you recognise how challenging and tough this format is and what it takes to be able to have consistency to be able to survive the Test of time in this format.
"We don't celebrate 100 T20s in the same way, do we? But yeah it is nice BCCI is recognising it. I think it is just a reward and not an incentive. But I still really hope looking at the guys who came in and played in the series, everyone wants to play Test cricket and people want to play in Test cricket. It is just recognition of what you need to be able to do to survive in Test cricket. It is only when you get here you realise sometimes it is tough it is not easy but it is extremely satisfying," he added.
India secured a massive victory in the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala with an innings and 64 runs, propelling hosts to a 4-1 series win over England. (ANI)