Sourav Ganguly urges India to shed their inhibition and play Day-Night Tests
It has been a tale of two halves in Test cricket at the moment. Even as India and England are engaged in a close tussle in front of a sparse Chennai crowd for the final match of the series, a packed Gabba is witnessing Australia and Pakistan locking horns under lights in the opening Test of their 3-match series.
Such is the allure of watching cricket in the twilight zone and beyond that the concept has already caught the attention of sport lovers in Australia. Former captain Sourav Ganguly has urged India to embrace day-night Tests in order to bring back the packed atmosphere of yore in the game’s traditional format.
“Adopting Day-Night Tests is common sense and it has to come to India. The biggest hindrance of five-day cricket is that people have to work, even someone like me who has played so much cricket and who is so passionate about the game has to work during the day and I miss a lot of cricket. So it is quite natural for somebody else,” Ganguly was quoted as saying by India Today.
With Australia kick starting and embracing the innovation, India’s next tour Down Under might see Virat Kohli’s team take on the hosts in a day-night Test. However, for that to happen, the relevant authorities in the country need to have an open outlook towards what could be the game’s newest revolution.
Ganguly insisted, “We had the MCC World Cricket Committee meeting where there was a strong discussion on it but India feels differently. India feels we should keep the legacy of white clothing of Test cricket going as that makes Tests a lot more authentic with all the history.”
“England have managed to pull crowds for Test matches even with white clothing, don't forget the Lord's Test or the Oval Test, they have had people come into the ground but those are an occasion and for me Test cricket has to become an occasion in India for people to watch and that (day-night Test) is the only way people will come back to the ground.”
As of now, there have been four day-night Tests played (including the Brisbane match) with two more scheduled next year. While England begin their August series against West Indies with a floodlit game in Birmingham, the second Test of the 2017/18 Ashes will also be played under lights in Adelaide.
In India, all four matches of the 2016 Duleep Trophy took place under lights with the pink ball. Despite some mixed feedback from the players who took part in the tournament, the excitement factor had been quite palpable amongst them.
Even though BCCI have tried to stage Test matches in some of the smaller venues in Tier-II cities and covering weekends as well, Ganguly surmised that it was only a matter of time before the day-night concept starts hogging the limelight on a regular basis.
He reiterated, “When Australia comes, there will be a Test match in Ranchi and I think there will be a lot of people watching. New Zealand played against India at Eden Gardens and there were 35 to 40,000 people watching the Test match on a weekend and once again I say a Saturday-Sunday which means people are off work and people can come to cricket. But once again, I'd say that the way forward is Day-Night Test cricket in India.”