Published 10:57 IST, December 4th 2019
Ganguly wants one pink-ball Test per series after massive Eden Gardens success
Basking in the success of India's first-ever pink ball Day-Night Test, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly feels upbeat about it and that it will be the way forward
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Basking in the success of India's first-ever pink ball Day-Night Test, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly feels upbeat about it and that it will be the way forward for Indian cricket. India won the historic contest against Bangladesh at a jam-packed Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The idea of hosting a pink ball Test in India was the brainchild of Ganguly and he managed to pull it off just weeks after assuming office as President. Earlier, Ganguly had also revealed that it had taken him just three seconds to convince skipper Virat Kohli to play the pink-ball Test and that Kohli was in sync with Ganguly.
Ganguly wants one pink-ball Test per series
Speaking to a magazine, Sourav Ganguly has pressed for having at least one pink ball game in a series hosted in India. Ganguly revealed that he was pretty upbeat about the pink-ball Test and that he believed that at least one game should be so in a series, if not every Test. Ganguly further said that venues across India were eager to host a pink-ball game after seeing the massive success at Kolkata. The BCCI President said that he would share his experiences with the members of the board and try to implement the same in other venues.
Cricketers show interest in pink-ball Tests
The cricketing world also seemed to be sharply divided on Pink ball's regular usage in Test series in the future. Former cricketers like Harbhajan Singh and VVS Laxman were strongly in favour of Pink ball as they felt it was the way forward as it brought spectators to the stadium citing Eden Gardens attendance, and went on to even thank BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly for initiating it successfully. But there were other legends who felt the game itself was far from reality and the Pink ball not ideal enough and looked quite "invisible".
Others who were against the pink-ball
Legendary spinner Bishen Singh Bedi said he was not a great fan of Pink ball cricket. "First Test cricket should be held under sunlight. Secondly, tell me was the ball clearly visible? Even South African umpire Marais Erasmus who hardly makes mistakes, could not see the ball properly and made two wrong decisions. Thirdly, the pink ball is harsh for the bowlers, especially spinners bowling under the twilight. In short, Pink ball cricket is not my cup of tea." Other former greats felt that the real Test of Pink ball cricket will be when two best Test-playing nations - India and Australia play under the lights in Adelaide.
10:44 IST, December 4th 2019