BCCI President Anurag Thakur says pink-ball Tests will be decided by the players
As the clamor for introducing day-night Tests in India is growing rapidly, BCCI President Anurag Thakur has stated that the decision will be dependent upon the feedback from senior cricketers after participating in the upcoming Duleep Trophy which will be held under lights.
At a press conference on the sidelines of BCCI’s working committee meeting, Thakur said, “Let us wait for the players to decide on that. Let us take the feedback during the upcoming Duleep Trophy.”
He added, “There have been experiments going on all over the world with the pink ball. We are not in a hurry. We want to take a decision once the BCCI is sure that they want to go with the pink ball.”
Under the tutelage of CAB Chief Sourav Ganguly, the pink ball was trialed during last week’s Bengal Super League final at the iconic Eden Gardens in which prominent Indian players such as Mohammed Shami and Wriddhiman Saha took part.
Even though batting was initially difficult on what was a pretty grassy surface, batsmen adapted to the conditions as the cricket match progressed. One major concern will be the pink ball’s durability on raging Indian turners.
But, the contest attracted plenty of eager cricket fans to the stadium proving that floodlight Tests was the way to go forward. There have also been talks regarding the possibility of involving one day-night fixture in the 3-match series against New Zealand at home.
Also Read: Problems anticipated and possible solutions with pink ball cricket in India
However, Thakur felt that the most important aspect of the forthcoming home season was the presence of a record 13 Test matches. He believed, “One of the accusations against the BCCI was 'Oh, they are only T20 focused.' In the last 30-40 years, this is going to be the first time we are going to play the largest number of Test matches. But, that didn't find any headline anywhere - 13 Test matches at home, 46 Test matches in the next five years, 76 ODIs and only 21 T20Is.”
Elaborating on the concept of formulating an exclusive home season every year, the 41-year old claimed, “So that revenues of the board and the state associations is secured and we are also going to fulfill our commitment towards other boards as we have to play a larger role in world cricket.
“So, the BCCI understands the larger role we have to play. We will fulfill those commitments, but not at the cost of the Indian fan. The Indian fan deserves a defined cricket season, which is from October to March.”