The Indian cricket board is reconsidering hosting day-night Tests in light of feedback from Indian players against the pink ball in the third match of the series against England, which saw 30 wickets fall for just 387 runs.
The team’s management has communicated two significant disadvantages: the pink ball’s visibility and the fact that it skids faster than the red version, making batsmen’s jobs more difficult.
The feedback is “being taken seriously, it’s crucial to listen to what the players have to say. We’ll make a decision shortly about whether or not to host future pink-ball Tests,” the official said.
The spinners took 28 of the 30 wickets in the Test that India won on Thursday at the newly inaugurated Narendra Modi Stadium, with most of the batsmen were dismissed by the straighter ball skidded on.
“The issue when facing the pink ball is that it skids much faster than the red ball,” a member of the Indian team management told The Indian Express after the 10-wicket win on Thursday. Batsmen rely on muscle memory to assume that the ball will arrive at a certain pace after pitching, just as they do when playing with the red ball. The pink ball, on the other hand, comes much quicker.
The game at Motera ended just after the dinner break on the second day, leading experts and fans to disagree about the pitch’s consistency. England scored 112 and 81 runs, while India amassed 145 runs before reaching the 49-run target without losing a wicket.
“The pitch was as good as the Chennai track,” an India player told The Indian Express on condition of anonymity. The game would have lasted four days if we had used the red ball here.”
The team management had demanded a turner for the third Test, even though it is customary in day-night games to leave grass on the wicket to ensure the ball does not lose color and lasts.
India have played three pink-ball Tests so far, winning two at home and losing one in Australia, which they lost in Adelaide after being bowled out for 36 in the second innings. The match ended in the first session of the third day in 2019, when India defeated Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.