Cricket fans are disappointed at the Indian cricket team’s refusal to play a day-night Test match during their Australia tour later this year.
Despite Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland's hopes of the Indian team coming around to agree to play the twilight Test at Adelaide, the Indian board has officially refused to play a Test match under floodlights.
Last week, The Indian Express reported that a member of the Committee of Administrators ruled out the possibility of the Indian team playing the day-night test, saying the players were not ready for it.
“The CoA spoke to Ravi Shastri (The Indian team coach) on April 12 and Shastri categorically mentioned that he has consulted with the team and the team is not ready to play pink-ball cricket just now. So a question of playing a day-night Test match in Adelaide just doesn’t arise,” the newspaper quoted a CoA member as saying.
Full details on India's big tour of Australia this summer: https://t.co/Hy08Npfo0K #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/JVrinJ34J6 — cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) April 30, 2018
Mr Sutherland said the day-night Test match has been hugely successful both in terms of television viewers and venue spectators.
“It’s the way of the future and India may or may not come around to that idea for this tour, but I still think it is the way of the future. I think everyone in world cricket knows that,” he said.
Though Cricket Australia included the pink-ball Test in the summer international schedule released earlier this week, India’s decision of not to play under the lights has left Indian cricket fans disappointed.
“I think the board is just flexing its money muscle here. When other teams are getting along, why shouldn’t India too,” asks Sandeep Singh – an Adelaide resident who has watched all three day-night Tests held at Adelaide Oval.
Sandeep Singh during a cricket match. Source: Supplied
“I was all geared up for this one. I will still go and watch India play but I am disappointed,” he says.
Sukhdev Singh was also planning to watch the action for all five days.
“The thing with the day-night test is that you can go and watch it all days, besides the fact that the weather is much more pleasant,” he tells SBS Punjabi.
“There’s no Smith this time, no Warner… If the reason is Australia’s dominance of day-night Tests, I think India should reconsider this decision. They may actually win this one,” he says.
Sukhdev Singh Source: Supplied
Australia has won all three Tests played under the lights.
Mr Sutherland hopes that the International Cricket Council allows the host team to have at least one day-night Test when it introduces the concept of a Test Championship next year.
