Spin-friendly track likely for Duleep Trophy final
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are contemplating the preparation of a turning track for the final of the 2016 edition of the Duleep Trophy. The competition is being played under floodlights for the first time ever and is being used as a platform to test out the pink ball which the board hopes to use for staging a Day-Night Test in India in the near future.
A final decision on the matter will be taken after the BCCI holds a meeting with the leading members of the Indian cricket team, who are currently in the US preparing to take on reigning World T20 champions West Indies in a two-match T20 series, return to India on August 29 with their participation for the latter stages of the Duleep Trophy also likely to be part of the discussion.
No mini-IPL for now
It was reported earlier in August that with the BCCI dropping plans for a mini-IPL, the board was hopeful that the Indian Test squad, including skipper Virat Kohli, would make their presence felt in the Duleep Trophy to help them get a taste of pink ball cricket. Now the BCCI is hopeful of persuading a few players to turn up for the penultimate match of the tournament between India Green and Blue from September 4 to 7 to get additional feedback on the suitability of the pink ball in Indian conditions.
“All contracted players will be playing once they are back. Their feedback is crucial to decide whether we should go ahead with the pink ball Test in the future or not. The Indian team will be back on August 29 and will get a few days of rest. Then they will be either playing the September 4 game or the finals straight away,” a BCCI official said, as reported by the Indian Express.
He further added, “The squads that have been named for the Duleep Trophy will be changed in the later stages. As the senior Indian players come into the frame, second-string players will be moving out to make way for them. There is no zonal system now, so we can change teams in order to provide what we feel is a good practice session for the boys.”
Also read: BCCI allows Duleep Trophy-bound Tamil Nadu players to take part in TNPL
With the Duleep Trophy being the only competitive tournament ahead of India’s three-Test home series against New Zealand, the BCCI is also hopeful that the final serves as the ideal match practice for the Men in Blue while also testing out how the pink ball behaves on a rank turner.
"It's natural that the Test match at home will be played on a turning track and the final of the Duleep Trophy is an ideal scenario to get some match practice," BCCI sources said, as reported by Cricbuzz.
The Duleep Trophy opener between India Red and Green provided a bit of everything for all with both spinners and fast bowlers enjoying their share of wickets while batsmen like Abhinav Mukund and Sudip Chatterjee also impressed with centuries to their name. While the players from the match made their thoughts known on the pink ball after the match, the BCCI is interested to know how the international stars rate their first experience of what is touted as the future of Test cricket.