"You can always refuse" - Aakash Chopra on whether India should have played a pink-ball Test in BGT 2024-25
Aakash Chopra is unconvinced whether India should have played a pink-ball Test in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. He pointed out that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would have had the option to refuse a day-night game.
Australia completed an emphatic 10-wicket win in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide on Sunday, December 8. The win helped them draw level in the five-match series, with the remaining three Tests to be played in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the cricketer-turned-commentator opined that India could have refused to play a day-night Test in the ongoing BGT.
"Rohit (Sharma) said that they had to play a pink-ball Test when they came to Australia. There is no written rule that you have to play. You can always refuse because bilateral engagements are all decided based on what both boards agree. If boards agree that they want to play, you play," he said (6:20).
Chopra added that the International Cricket Council (ICC) doesn't have a role in deciding the playing conditions.
"If you say you don't want to play, don't play. It is completely in your hands what you want or don't want to play. The ICC has some rules but the playing conditions for every series are decided by the two boards," he observed.
India suffered an eight-wicket defeat in the day-night Test in Adelaide on their last tour of Australia. However, they bounced back to win the series 2-1.
"If you don't play with the pink ball, how do we get prepared?" - Aakash Chopra on India not playing home day-night Tests
![India played a pink-ball game against the Australian Prime Minister's XI before the Adelaide Test. [P/C: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/12/731c4-17337232956573-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that India need to play home pink-ball Tests if they want to play overseas day-night Tests.
"If you are agreeing to play there, you have to start playing at home. We have played just four Test matches to date (before the Adelaide Test) with the pink ball and we haven't played with it for a long time. Why don't you play with the pink ball? Start playing. If you don't play with the pink ball, how do we get prepared?" he said (6:55).
The former India opener pointed out that such games would serve a dual purpose.
"You need to start playing with the pink ball at home. I would say play one pink-ball match in every series for sure because there are a lot of benefits because of that. One is, of course, you get used to playing with the pink ball, and secondly, you encourage the kids," Chopra observed.
"You want to popularize Test cricket, that kids should come and watch. Kids are at school or college when their stars like Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are playing Test cricket. They don't watch. The match is over by the time they reach home," he added.
Chopra pointed out that the pink ball behaves differently from the red ball. He added that unless the behavior of the pink ball is understood properly, such one-off Test matches will always come back to bite India.