Former India captain Sourav Ganguly gave his opinion on the proposed newest format of the game ‘The Hundred’. Last month, England Cricket Board announced a new 100-ball format to bring in new audiences to the sport, a move which Ganguly is cautious about.

The former left-handed batsman thinks that the format shouldn’t be so small that someone coming to watch it misses the events of the game in a moment’s time.

“It's actually 16 and half overs. So from 50 overs, it has come down to 20 and now to 16 and a half. Let's see what happens. I think they are trying to make 100 a number instead of overs. We will have to wait and see how shorter it gets.

"You got to be very careful that it should not be such that before a spectator comes and blinks, the thing is over," Ganguly said.

He added that a spectator would want fun and a sustained amount of pressure while also identifying potential talents within the game. He also affirmed that shortening the format brings in the risk of losing a game’s brilliance.

"The spectator wants the fun and pressure to go on for a certain period of time and then find genuine talent and genuine winners," he added.

"The shorter the format gets, the difference between the very good and the ordinary becomes much lesser."

He then lauded the brutality of Test cricket as it is a format that determines the grit and diligence of a player in the maximum possible manner.

"That's why test cricket is the biggest challenge in cricket still. It tests you as you have to come and bowl in the morning and then in the afternoon and then at tea time when you're tired fielding all day, you still have to bowl at 140kph and that's when it's tough.

"It requires concentration, skill, technique. T20 will remain, it's commercial and fun but the real version will be the longer format of the game."