KOLKATA: It has taken time, but the Indian team seems to have warmed up to the idea of day-night Tests. Reluctant for a long time, the BCCI has in the past turned down proposals from the boards of Australia and South Africa to play the longest format under lights. With the Eden Gardens Test set to end India’s wait for one, there are chances that India will play more such games abroad.
India are scheduled to tour New Zealand in February-March in 2020 for three Tests. The next overseas Test assignment will be in Australia towards the end of 2020. The BCCI has already been requested by the boards of both countries to play day-night Tests. Although an official announcement is still to come, it looks likely that the reply would be in the affirmative.
Speaking to the media a day before India’s inaugural Test, Virat Kohli said that his team is ready. “It needs a bit of preparation and once you get a hang of it, there is no problem. You can assign sessions accordingly and plan in advance. I think any change needs to have that much time for it to sink in and eventually we are open to anything.”
The captain was quick to add that the travel itinerary has to be drawn accordingly if an away tour involves a day-night Test. “If it’s the first Test, then obviously before it whatever practice game you play should be in that format. If there are two practice games, one can be played with a red ball and the other one before the Test with a pink ball. If the second or the third Test is a day-night one, I would ideally have a bigger break between the Tests and have a practice game with the pink ball.”
However, Kohli doesn’t foresee or prefer a future where day-night Tests become the norm rather than novelty. “Then you lose out on that nervousness of the first session in the morning. You can bring excitement but can’t plan only in terms of entertaining people. The entertainment of Test cricket lies in the fact that the batsman is trying to survive the first session, the bowlers trying to set him up. If people don’t respond to that, then too bad. So, I’d like to see it as a one-off experience rather than the regular scenario.”
Kohli on pink challenge
Batting: It will require more concentration, solid technique, a more compact game compared to the red ball. Decision-making has to be precise. Yesterday when we practised, it felt like the ball was closer to the off stump than it actually was. One has to be careful about that channel.
Fielding: You don’t really know how far the ball is and it hits your hand very quickly. Even in the slips, it was flying pretty fast. I think the extra glaze on the ball is making it travel faster. It hits the hand very hard. Also, it takes a lot more effort while throwing it than the red ball.
Dew: That’s going to be the biggest difference between day-night Tests in India and other countries. I spoke to the match referee and it is something we will have to discuss as we go along with the game. We have to manage it in the best way possible. Dew will be a factor in the last session.