Cheteshwar Pujara: Batting With Pink Ball During Twilight Not Easy

Cheteshwar Pujara, India’s Test specialist batsman reckons that batting against the pink kookaburra during the twilight session will not be an easy task in the opening Test in Adelaide which will be a Day-Night game as told to news agency PTI.

India are practicing hard at the nets after having already reached Australia ahead of the first ODI in the 3-match ODI and 3-match T20I series which will take place on November 27th while the Test series starting on December 17.

Cheteshwar Pujara: Different Challenge Playing With Pink Ball

Cheteshwar Pujara is not part of the limited-overs squad as expected, but he will be a key player in the upcoming 4-match Test series. He was the highest run-scorer in the last Australia tour in 2018/2019 and will try to repeat his performance and has his eyes set on the challenge of facing Australia in the pink-ball Test in Adelaide.

“It will be a different challenge playing with pink ball as pace and bounce also changes. We will be playing with pink kookaburra in Australia (against Bangladesh, it was Pink SG Test). It will be slightly different,” the batsman said.

India have so far played only one day-night Test against Bangladesh last year at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The Virat Kohli-led side comfortably won the match by an innings and 46 runs. Bangladesh were dismissed on 106 and 195 as the match ended within 3 days with pacer Ishant Sharma adjudged Man of Match.  But Cheteshwar Pujara knows things will be different in Australia as the ball will be kookaburra not SG.

Cheteshwar Pujara: Twilight Period More Challenging But Indian Team Collectively Must Get Used To It

The 32-year-old further added that the Indian team will have to collectively prepare to face the challenge, which can only happen if the team understands and accepts how things will be different with the pink kookaburra under lights.

“As a team and as individuals, one has to understand and accept and get used to it (pink ball and lights) as early possible. There will be a bit of difference with pink ball,” he added.

“The twilight period is more challenging than other periods but as you play more and practice more, you get used to it. It does take a little while,” Pujara signed off.

Meanwhile, Australia’s cricket series against India has been cast into jeopardy again after yet another coronavirus outbreak in Adelaide, where the first day/night test is scheduled to be played next month.

Players from Western Australia and Tasmania states who recently returned home from domestic games in Adelaide were ordered into home isolation on Monday when their provincial governments closed borders to South Australia.