The newly appointed Board of Control for Cricket in India president Sourav Ganguly has revealed India’s captain Virat Kohli’s stand on Day-Night Test match. Ganguly believes that the future of Test cricket is going to be the Day-Night Test and Virat Kohli is on the same page as him.
In fact, Ganguly had also supported Pink Ball cricket in Duleep Trophy. The former skipper believes it is crucial to keep together the longest format of the game. Furthermore, Test cricket has found it difficult to attract crowds after the rapid shoot of the T20 format.
Ganguly believes that it is difficult to attract crowds to Test cricket on weekdays. Hence, it makes all the sense to back the Day-Night Test. Meanwhile, India is yet to play their maiden pink-ball Test.
“We are all thinking about this (lack of crowds at Tests in India). I am a big believer in day-night Tests and I will be pushing for it. These days you can’t skip work or school and attend Tests. T20 has seriously challenged other formats and that (playing day-night Tests) will be a change in the right direction. Virat is agreeable to the idea and once the India captain is on board, life becomes a lot easier,” said Ganguly here on Friday, at a programme organised by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) to felicitate him on becoming the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Meanwhile, the Indian captain Virat Kohli had also suggested that there should be only five Test centers in a country. The Test matches should be played on these centers to promote the multi-day format.
On the other hand, VVS Laxman and former captain Mohammad Azharuddin were also present at the event. Laxman believes Ganguly should also revive the National Cricket Academy.
“If we have seen the most depleted South Africa in the time I have been watching cricket, it is because their domestic structure is weak. If India is this strong, it is because of their bench-strength and because the domestic structure is good. The NCA plays an important role in that and I would like to see it become a center of excellence under Sourav,” said Laxman.
Meanwhile, India will play a three-match T20I series against Bangladesh from November 3.