Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of India, praised the ICC’s decision on Friday to permit the use of pink balls during day Tests, characterizing it as a chance for teams to achieve results in games impacted by bad weather.
With prior consent from both teams, the ICC approved a trial of pink balls in normal Test matches following its board meeting “to maximise play in case of anticipated bad light.” It is common knowledge that a match of this kind will begin with a red ball; however, in the event of poor lighting, floodlights will be activated, and pink balls will be used to compensate for any overs that could otherwise be lost.
“I love that. The reason is because I always believe that if there’s an opportunity to get a result, you should always have that opportunity,” PTI quoted Gambhir as saying on the eve of the one-off Test against Afghanistan.
The regulation will take effect on October 1. There’s a deeper reason why Gambhir is adamantly in favor of it. In February and March, India will play the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home. The third Test will take place in Guwahati, while the final Test will take place in Ranchi, both in eastern India, where overs are lost because the sun sets at 4 p.m.
“Imagine if you are playing the last Test match before the World Test Championship final and you have the chance to win that Test match and qualify. Because of bad light it’s not happening. I am all for it if there is an opportunity to get the result and both the teams agree to it,” Gambhir said.
Gambhir admitted that players might find it difficult to adjust to switching from red to pink balls in the same game, but flexibility would be expected if a WTC final spot was at stake.
“I know it could be a little uncertain or difficult for the players playing the Test match but imagine working hard for two years and it’s the last Test match before the World Test Championship final,” he said.
“If it gets worse, if you don’t play five days because of bad luck, how uncertain could that be? So I think it’s a proactive move. It’s a positive move and hopefully the teams will start taking it in a positive way,” Gambhir added.
