Pink Ball Test: Why BCCI Is Not Keen On Playing Day-Night Test Matches?

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Pink Ball Test: Team India last played in a day-night Test match over a year ago when they hosted Sri Lanka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, but they are unlikely to play in a Pink Ball match anytime soon.

The Indian men's senior national side has so far played four Pink Ball or Day-Night Test matches, three at home which they won and one away in Australia, where they lost.

The first Pink Ball Test was played in 2015 between Australia and New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, where 7 of 21 Day-Night Test matches have been hosted so far.

The most recent encounter was New Zealand vs England at the Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui in February 2023 with the next one scheduled to be played between Australia and West Indies in Janaury 2024 at the Gabba in Brisbane.

India will be playing at least seven Tests from December 2023 to March 2024, but none of their games will be contested in the day-night format with the Pink Ball. And BCCI has given the reason behind not playing Pink Ball Tests.

Why BCCI is not keen on Pink Ball Test?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is not keen on playing in Day-Night Tests as the matches finish quickly instead of the five days, but will start playing them regularly once the players get more used to it.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah told reporters on the sidelines of the WPL Auction 2024 that the BCCI isn't really in favour of pink-ball Tests for now, as the matches tend to finish "inside two-three days," rather than lasting for four-five days.

"We will have to increase the amount of interest in the public for the pink-ball Test. If you recall, the (pink-ball) Tests ended in two-three days. Everyone wants to watch a Test match lasting four-five days. Once they get more used to it, we will do more pink-ball Tests.

"Last time it was done in Australia, no one has done it since then. We were in talks with England, but we will do it gradually," Shah said.

Why was day-night Test introduced?

Day-Night or Pink Ball Test was introduced to get more people into the games and keep the matches interesting with the ball providing the greatest challenge during the twilight hours of the day. However, most matches have ended inside three days, robbing fans of action.

India first faced Bangladesh in November 2019 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where the match finished inside three days. Next, India faced Australia in their first and only away Pink Ball match at the Adelaide Oval, where the match once again ended inside three days in 2020.

The third match involving India in a Pink Ball match was in February 2021, when the hosts finished the contest inside two days against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

In the most recent encounter, India defeated Sri Lanka within three days of the Test match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. All their matches have finished under three days.