KOLKATA: One of the two Tests against the West Indies later this year will be a day-night affair, BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary confirmed on Monday.
“I had consulted the Indian team management, the selectors, the office bearers and all were in agreement that one of the two Tests against West Indies will be a day-night Test,” Chaudhary told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing five-day International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting here.
The Committee of Administrators (COA) led by former CAG Vinod Rai had previously said no to Chaudhury’s idea of holding a D/N test, saying the India team management should be consulted first.
Hyderabad and Rajkot are the two venues which are slated to host the two Tests against West Indies, although the dates for it have not been released as of now by the BCCI.
Chaudhary’s comments clears up the confusion that had arisen after the Times of India reported that the BCCI had taken a considered view that the concept of day-night Tests has no future and as a consequence rejected proposals from Cricket Australia (CA) to play one in Adelaide when India tours later this year. Virat Kohli’s side are set to resume their rivalry with Australia for a four-Test series this summer.
As per current indications, BCCI’s Tours and Fixtures Committee has zeroed in on Rajkot as the venue for the D/N Test, the thought being that having one against the West Indies would provide the players an idea of playing pink-ball cricket,
The Adelaide Test has been a day-night fixture for the last three seasons but Cricket Australia’s hopes of continuing that tradition are dependent on the approval of the Indian board.
While the home board (in this case CA) determines playing conditions of Test matches, such as start times and the type of ball used, the ICC’s regulations specify that the visiting board needs to agree to playing a Test as a day-night contest.
The Adelaide Test has been a day-night affair for the past three seasons and the high crowd numbers and increased television ratings means officials at both CA and the South Australian Cricket Association are keen for that to continue.
“Each time we play in Adelaide, when we played in Brisbane, it further reinforces that this is the future, day-night Test cricket is here to stay,” CA CEO James Sutherland told ABC Radio last December.
“It’s a different-coloured ball, and perhaps it does play differently. Everyone has to face up to those conditions, no matter what they are, and I think everyone’s got their head around that now.
“As we’ve discussed at ICC level, it’s very much in the hands of the home country to make judgments on what they think is best.”
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