Gautam Gambhir not convinced by pink ball cricket

The 34-year-old is against the use of pink ball in Test cricket

India’s Gautam Gambhir said that he was not convinced by the increasing use of the pink ball for matches in India as he feels that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is perhaps using it a bit too much to attract bigger crowds for domestic matches.

After the first ever pink ball cricket match was held in India at the Eden Gardens in the month of June with Mohun Bagan taking on Bhowanipore in the final of the Cricket Association of Bengal’s (CAB) Super League, the newest innovation in the Gentleman’s game was tried out in the Duleep Trophy which was played under lights for the first time in its history.

While Gambhir impressed in the tournament, scoring four back-to-back half centuries to lead his side India Blue to title glory, the 34-year-old does not agree with the notion of using the pink ball just as a means for pulling in the crowd.  

“If you are bringing the pink ball just to pull in the crowds it's not good,” he said. “Yes, if games are not result-oriented or boring then you can change the colour of the ball or play under lights, but just to pull in the crowds, then I don't think it’s right.”

While the BCCI are fast-tracking their plans for the first ever day-night Test in India with plans to use the pink ball for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season, Gambhir feels that any sort of experimentation should be limited to the shorter formats of the game and not Test cricket. According to the Delhi opener, a sizeable crowd will come in, no matter what colour ball is being used, depending on the quality of cricket on display. 

"At the same time, we can keep at least one format the way it is. You can experiment in ODIs and T20s but not in Tests. We can promote Test cricket in the right way. You can see the audience in Australia, South Africa, England – it's huge and I don't think the colour of the ball will affect them much," he added.

Gambhir, who missed out on the squad for the first Test between India and New Zealand which begins at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur from September 22, feels that one of the best ways to expand the reach of the game is to play matches at new venues, including countries like the USA where cricket is not necessarily a predominant sport.

The KKR skipper is looking forward to the mini-IPL that is scheduled to be held every September from 2018 onwards as he feels that it will be a good advertisement for the game in attracting new viewers to the sport. 

"One should play Test cricket in smaller towns, where people do not get to see much of it," Gambhir said. "It's a good thing (mini-IPL in the USA) to promote cricket in the US or in Dubai. There are only 10 Test-playing nations, so if you promote the game overseas it is good."