The upcoming five-match Test series between India and England holds commercial significance comparable to the Ashes, according to ECB chief executive officer Richard Gould. He is hopeful that the series will reignite the interest of English fans after a lacklustre international summer in 2024. Last year, sports enthusiasts in England were captivated by the Paris Olympics and the Euro, Europe’s premier football tournament. The sight of empty seats at Lord’s following England’s series win over Sri Lanka was disheartening for cricket. However, Gould is optimistic about a successful summer, thanks to the popularity of the Indian team. “We know how big it is. It is a huge summer,” Gould was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. “Last summer, there were all sorts of things happening all over the place, weren’t there? “I think that is one of the great things about a five-Test series: it is a proper long-read; it’s something that people can get really into. There will be subplots, and sub-subplots. There will be all sorts of issues over that six-week period,” Gould added. Though stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and R Ashwin may have retired from Test cricket recently, India’s significant presence in the sport ensures any series involving them rivals the Ashes in commercial importance. “Certainly, in terms of commercial importance,” Gould said. The series also marks the start of a new cycle for both India and England in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC). India has not clinched a Test series win in England since 2007, and their last tour in 2021-22 ended in a 2-2 draw. Gould is also enthusiastic about the resurgence of five-match Test series. “There’s been lots of discussion about short formats, but Test cricket is doing quite a resurgence in its own way,” he said. “Particularly with the five-Test series: we’re seeing more of those than we have done for a long time.” Regarding future WTC finals, Gould believes England has an edge over other contenders like India since it can attract crowds even for matches involving neutral teams. “The WTC, for us, is not the be-all and end-all. Because we also enjoy the Ashes and we will enjoy the India series,” Gould said, ahead of last week’s final between Australia and South Africa at Lord’s. The recent WTC final was the third consecutive one held in England, and the ICC is likely to confirm that England will continue to host future finals despite interest from India. “We don’t think that we’ve got any absolute right to be the continual host of the WTC (final), but there are advantages to having it here. Irrespective of who gets into the final, we will sell it out… We’re probably the only member nation within the ICC that could deliver that. “We recognise that perhaps others would like to take it around the world at some point… But the worry is if you move it, end up with two neutral teams, and don’t get a crowd, the whole thing could devalue and deflate pretty quickly.” (With inputs from PTI)