Kolkata:The Indian cricket board may have refused to play a day-night Test in Australia later this year, but former India captain Sourav Ganguly feels the pink-ball contest is the future and the country will have to embrace it someday. “Day-night Test is the way forward. Every country has to play day-night Tests. India have reservations but that’s the long term future for Test cricket,” said Ganguly.
India are one of the only two current Test-playing nations to have avoided playing pink-ball cricket at international level, Bangladesh being the other one.
Even as Ganguly sounded critical of India’s decision to avoid playing day-night Test, the former left-handed batsman said the Indian team had the potential to win pink-ball Test matches. “They are a good side, they will win day-night matches also. It’s just a different ball, I don’t think there’s any other difference. And they have such class players, they can win,” he said. On Wednesday, former Australian skipper Michael Clarke had said that India refused to play a day-night Test in Australia because they felt they had a better chance against Australia with the traditional red ball.
“Remember India have never beaten Australia in Australia. This is their chance and that’s exactly what Kohli, Ravi Shastri and all in Indian cricket would be thinking,” Clarke had said.
The Australian reasoned that the wickets are flatter and spin-oriented during the day, while at night there’s little spin and a bit more movement with moisture around. “They prefer to take their chances during the day. I can understand why they do not want to play under lights.”
Ganguly also backed Kohli’s decision to skip the historic Test against Afghanistan. “I think since the side is Afghanistan, he has chosen to play county cricket. If it had been any other team, he would have not gone. It just shows how important the England tour is for him,” said Ganguly.
Ganguly said India were good enough to beat Afghanistan without Kohli. “India will beat Afghanistan without Virat.
And hopefully they can do well in England also.”
The former India captain expressed surprise at the exclusion of Ajinkya Rahane from the ODI squad for the England tour. “I am surprised Rahane is not in the team. He should have been in the team. He has been moved around too much, he is a quality player,” Ganguly said. — Agencies
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