But for some hundreds of ground staff that had been involved in the mopping-up operations and took a well deserved rest in the stands once the game eventually stared, there weren’t many who turned up to watch the classic Test encounter between the game’s greats. A working day and the delayed start could be one of several reasons for the sparse attendance on the opening day of the India-Sri Lanka Test series but those in the International Cricket Council believe that the lack of marketing of the longer version could be blamed for the reduced interest in watching the men in whites.

“We have been spoilt for years,” says ICC general manager Dave Richardson, who is quite aware that the newer versions of the game are catching eye balls than the longer version.

“What has made everybody realise this is that we can’t just sit back and think that Test cricket will survive. We have to prepare a proper context for it. We have to create a proper Test championship or league cricket and make sure we market it properly. When a movie comes out, there is a proper marketing trail that comes before the release. We must do the same,” said the former South African wicket-keeper.

According to Richardson learning from the success of T20 happens to be the way out for Test cricket. “The success of T20 cricket is a big wake-up call. Look how well the IPL was marketed. They must do the same for Test cricket. The focus should not be only the one-dayers. Just like there is the Champions Trophy, we should have a $5 million marketing budget and have excitement going for Tests. We have the best teams and the best quality,” he said.