5 questions need to be answered before the first Day-Night Test in India

Jun 14, 2016 at 2:46 PM

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5 questions need to be answered before the first Day-Night Test in India

BCCI’s hard work for introducing India to day-night Tests are in full swing with the Duleep Trophy being seen as a perfect platform to test the pink ball. Breaking away from the regular trend, this year will witness some biggest names in Indian cricket appear in the tournament as confirmed by BCCI. The main objective behind this move is the fact that they can prove to be the best critics of the new experiment and provide quality feedback.

Here we have tried to answer some key questions that will decide the fate of the new experiment with the pink ball.

What are the most likely problems with the pink ball?History-At-Adelaide-Oval-With-The-First-Ever-Day-Night-Test-Match

Even the single Test experiment by Cricket Australia last year had to confront different sorts of problems as it was emerged from a player survey.

1)70 percent of players believed the pink ball was not easy to see for a batsman or a fielder at dusk.

2) 80 percent think the pink ball swung more than the red, particularly at night.

3) 80 percent claimed that the pink ball wore out a lot more compared to the red ones.

4) 85 percent suggested the day-night conditions actually had an impact on the length of the match.

Will those problems persist in Indian conditions?Last year's historic day-night test at Adelaide Oval

It remains an uncertain one. Most probably, they will occur, but that’s why BCCI is interested to know how the pink ball holds up in the Duleep Trophy matches. All the top players of the country will be playing in Duleep, and they will ultimately give necessary feedback to the board. Only then, will a decision on the pink-ball Test can be taken.

Does the pitch need to be doctored to preserve the ball?       Day-night test at Adelaide still uncertainYes the pitch needs special treatment, if you follow what happened in Adelaide, and in some experiments in Australia’s domestic cricket and in Pakistan. Before that Adelaide Test, the two captains Steve Smith and Brendon McCullum were asked for their oppinion, and their permission was needed, just to have a generous grass covering on the wicket, and the immediate areas surrounding it, in order to preserve the ball and delay it’s wearing out process. Adelaide Oval curator Damian Hough for this had left 11mm of grass at the end of the game, Australia captain Smith and the New Zealand coach Mike Hesson later claimed more grass was left than what they had expected and suggested it also played a major part in the match finishing within three days.

How will that play out in India?

Day night test India

It’s again a tricky one. Will Indian team risk playing one Test in a three-match series on green top, and risk losing the match? That’s why Duleep Trophy becomes much more vital. It will be thoroughly checked whether the pitch helps turn or whether it would restrict the effectiveness of India’s spin attack.

Do we need to learn from Pakistan’s experiment with pink ball?History-At-Adelaide-Oval-With-The-First-Ever-Day-Night-Test-Match

It’s not that the pitches are same in both India and Pakistan, rather they are more similar to India than Australia to some extent. In January 2016, Pakistan played the final of their premier first-class tournament Quaid-e-Azam with the pink ball, and the match featured the likes of Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq and Azhar Ali.

The fast bowlers notched 27 of the 34 wickets that fell, and no batsmen was able to make a hundred. They played with a Kookaburra ball, though it wasn’t the same type that was used in the Australia Test. Misbah-ul-Haq later revealed the dew conditions in Karachi made it “extremely difficult for batsmen”, especially once the lights were switched on. “The new pink ball was seaming a lot, the moisture on the pitch (due to heavy dew) made it tough for the batsmen. Even lining up for high catches for fielders was a challenge as the visibility of the ball wasn’t all that great,” Misbah further said.

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