Focus on winning, BCCI missing big picture: Chappell

New Delhi :Former Australian skipper Ian Chappell has criticised the Indian cricket board for refusing to play a day-night Test during their tour of Australia later this year. Accusing BCCI of ignoring the bigger picture, Chappell said the decision was taken merely to enhance India’s chances against the weakened Australian team.

“The BCCI’s decision was extremely disappointing. Adelaide has become the unofficial home of day-night Test cricket, and the legacy of three years of rip-roaring success under lights there was expected to be further enhanced by the presence of a strong Indian team,” Chappell wrote in his column for a cricket website.

“No matter what excuse BCCI offers, it’s hard to accept that this decision was anything other than the board looking to increase India’s chances of winning their first Test series in Australia against a weakened opponent,” Chappell wrote.

Australia will be without their premier batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner during the home series against India as they will be in the middle of their one-year ban imposed following the ball-tampering scandal during Australia’s Test series in South Africa.

Chappell felt that game’s stakeholders talk about saving Test cricket but it’s merely lip service. “Nowhere can I find even a hint of it being in ‘the best interests of the game’. In an age where T20 leagues are flooding the market, Test cricket needs nurturing from the officials if it is to survive this influx.

“Day-night Test cricket in centres where it’s viable is a must if the long form is to have a future in a market that is becoming ever more competitive and where the officials are constantly looking for ways to compress the game,” Chappell senior opined. He feels that the interest of the fans should be taken into account. “Apart from the obvious advantage of the matches being played at a more appropriate time for fans to either attend or watch on television, day-night Tests also conjure up intriguing cricketing possibilities.

“Because of frequent dramatic changes in conditions, different strategies are likely to evolve for day-night Tests, particularly in relation to selection and batting orders. Day-night Tests also provide greater opportunities for bowlers and challenge a captain’s imagination — anything that achieves those two aims is good for cricket.”