We Are Ready To Play Day/Night Test Match Away From India: Virat Kohli

Team India scripted history as they hosted day-night pink-ball affair against Bangladesh at the home of cricket, Eden Gardens. It is worth mentioning here that India made their debut in day-night Test almost four years after the first game which was was played between Australia and New Zealand.

Earlier, the world number one Test side never really showed interest in playing with the pink ball. Unlike India, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, England and South Africa did not hesitate in trying out with the pink ball. However, with India finally making their debut in day-night Tests against Bangladesh, former Australia spinner Shane Warne is pretty much confident that India would agree to play another in Australia this year.

Cricket Australia had earlier proposed a day-night Test when India visited down under during the 2018-19 Test tour but the visitors turned down the proposal. However, Warne believes that India will lock horns with Australia in a Test match under the lights.

Many former cricketers even backed the concept of day-night Test and also proposed to make it an annual affair. Moreover, speculations were rife that India might play a day-night Test match when they tour Australia in November for a four-match Test series as a part of the ICC World Test Championship.

We are ready for the challenge: Virat Kohli on playing day and night Tests

Meanwhile, Team India skipper Virat Kohli, ahead of India’s first ODI match against Australia at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, said that he is open to being a part of more day-night Test matches in the future. As Virat Kohli sounds confident, India could well cross swords with Australia in one pink-ball Test.

“We played the day & night test here (India), we are happy with how it went. It has become a very exciting feature of any test series, we are open to playing day & night tests. We are ready for the challenge,” Kohli told the reporters in Mumbai.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and his colleagues will meet CA officials here on Monday to discuss the possibility of play more such day-night matches. Meanwhile, officials from New Zealand Cricket (NZC) are also in India and the massive possibility of Day-Night Test is on the cards.

“With India touring Australia, they should definitely look at one or two Tests because timing definitely makes a difference,” says Rajesh Kaul, head of sports business at Sony Pictures Network (SPN), rights holders for cricket in Australia.

It will be quite interesting to see whether the Board of Control for Cricket in India does commit to more than one pink-ball affair in Australia during the Test series later this year.

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