Pink Ball enforcer Mitchell Starc wants day-night Test against Virat Kohli and band

Melbourne, May 26: Mitchell Starc, the Australian left-arm pacer, on Tuesday (May 26) welcomed the prospect of Pink Ball Test against India when Virat Kohl and his band tour Down Under later this year. India are scheduled to play a four-match series in December, 2020-January, 2021 after the scheduled ICC T20 World Cup, also in Australia.

India had declined Australia's offer to play a day-night Test during their last tour in 2018-19 but BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said India might play a Day-Night Test in the upcoming four-test series.

"I think absolutely a pink ball Test in this series against India is a great thing," left-armer Starc told reporters in a video call. "The fans love it, it creates a different aspect of the contest. I think bat and ball are a lot closer together. India have obviously played a pink ball Test at home so they're not completely foreign to it.

"I guess in terms of the advantage if you like, we do have a good record at home with the pink ball. It's no different to us going to India and they've got the advantage there," he said.

Australia have won all seven day-night Tests they have played and Starc's prowess with the pink ball has been key. Though wary of it encroaching on traditional day Tests, Starc has taken 42 wickets at an average of 19.23 with the pink ball against an average of 26.97.

The 30-year-old also said he was concerned the International Cricket Council's recommendation to ban the use of saliva to shine the ball when the sport returns after the coronavirus shutdown would hand batsmen a big advantage. Bowlers needed some help to get the ball to swing if saliva was banned, he added.

"Kids aren't going to want to be bowlers because as we saw in Australia over the last couple of years, there were some pretty flat wickets and if that ball's going straight, it's a pretty boring contest," he said.