India might have become the number one Test side but they are also posing threat to the future of the longer format, according to Australian media.
"India are not scheduled to play a single long-format game at home for nearly two years. The outrageous absence of home Tests for such a length of time underscores the problems faced by the traditional format," said a Sydney Morning Herald report.
The three-match Test series that was scheduled against South Africa has been cancelled and that will impact the Test rankings in a huge manner. India's only home series for the next 21 months will be against the lowest-ranked Bangladesh, before hosting West Indies in November 2011.
India's coach Gary Kirsten too had said his team was powerless in the structuring of fixtures.
The newspaper also slammed the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) for creating pressure on the International Cricket Council to accommodate more ODIs and T20s in the Future Tour Programme.
"They won't admit it, but the fixtures are determined purely by television revenue. Indian broadcast moguls are not interested in Tests because they rate poorly - as indicated by the recent survey - while ODIs and Twenty20s push their numbers through the roof," the report said.
"So there is increasing pressure from the BCCI - which sells matches for a handsome profit to television networks - to scrap Tests for more ODIs and Twenty20s. The ICC has not stood up to India for years and clearly isn't about to start by the looks of the Future Tours Program - which has been manipulated from its original plan to accommodate the BCCI's thirst for short-format games," it added.
Other cricket boards also drew the media flak for falling for meaningless ODIs with India just for the sake of some revenue generation.
"The situation is also not helped by the willingness of Australia, England and South Africa to jump at every chance to play meaningless ODIs in India, simply to boost revenue for the BCCI in return for partnerships in the Champions League Twenty20 competition and other financial benefits," the report said.
Greedy BCCI killing Test cricket: Aus media
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