Is the overall quality of Test cricket coming down

[gakgupta]

You can't compare legends after their careers have finished with batsmen at the beginning or middle of their careers. Ponting was not really compared with Tendulkar and Lara till he crossed 30 centuries or thereabouts. There are quite a few test stars like Steyn, Johnson, Clark, ABDV, Sangakara, Jayawardhane etc. Rising stars like Pujara, Kohli, Rahane, Philander. etc. Don't forget that many teams like India are in a rebuilding phase where most established players have retired.

As a neutral fan, would you switch on your television set for watching jayawardane and sangakarra .... esp in non-subcontinent conditions .... you are kidding me ... but other 4 are really fascinating to watch ....esp johnson -- i thoroughly enjoyed the last ashes series where england were ripped apart by johnson

[Holysmoke]

Tendulkar retired. What did you expect?

[gakgupta]

You can't compare legends after their careers have finished with batsmen at the beginning or middle of their careers. Ponting was not really compared with Tendulkar and Lara till he crossed 30 centuries or thereabouts. There are quite a few test stars like Steyn, Johnson, Clark, ABDV, Sangakara, Jayawardhane etc. Rising stars like Pujara, Kohli, Rahane, Philander. etc. Don't forget that many teams like India are in a rebuilding phase where most established players have retired.

Yup ...we cannot compare the legends after the careers are done but ppl used to watch these legends even before they became legends .... What i meant was.... Brain lara, even before he became "Brain lara - The Legend", cricket lovers all over the world used to see him bat and enjoy every bit of it ... same with Sachin as well ...... Sometimes, it's not all about getting the runs but how you get them .... I mean the elegance, finace and touch ..... These guys used to get the good deliveries out of the park.... Above mentioned names are good and might carry the legacy but not with the same stature

[moniker]

We just witnessed one of the best innings by an Indian batsman in England on the first day of this test match.

[StriKe]

If you are going to except top quality test cricket for all 5 days, forget it !

[express bowling]

As a neutral fan, would you switch on your television set for watching jayawardane and sangakarra .... esp in non-subcontinent conditions .... you are kidding me ... but other 4 are really fascinating to watch ....esp johnson -- i thoroughly enjoyed the last ashes series where england were ripped apart by johnson

I was not considering just entertaining players but high quality test players who have enriched test cricket .... as we were discussing the quality of tests and test players. Also, IMHO, Sangakara is immensely watchable.

[express bowling]

Yup ...we cannot compare the legends after the careers are done but ppl used to watch these legends even before they became legends .... What i meant was.... Brain lara, even before he became "Brain lara - The Legend", cricket lovers all over the world used to see him bat and enjoy every bit of it ... same with Sachin as well ...... Sometimes, it's not all about getting the runs but how you get them .... I mean the elegance, finace and touch ..... These guys used to get the good deliveries out of the park.... Above mentioned names are good and might carry the legacy but not with the same stature

If you are talking about classic , copybook, artistic batting then , I don't think you would get many such batsmen in the t20 era. But , you would get batsmen with flair. Also, batsmen who play well in tough pitches against good bowlers. Batsmen who are good to watch. Kohli, Rahane, ABDV, Clark , McCullum etc. would fall in this category. You would also get very enjoyable bowlers like Steyn, Johnson, Morkel. But, if you are looking for classic test batting, I am not sure you would get it again.