India will not play day-night: BCCI writes to Cricket Australia

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has written to Cricket Australia that the Indian cricket team will not play in a day-night Test Down Under.

The BCCI has officially informed Cricket Australia that India will not play any Day/Night Test match on their tour Down Under at the end of this year.

The Indian cricket team will not play a day-night Test in Australia, the BCCI has written to Cricket Australia. (Reuters)

While Cricket Australia were insistent on having a pink ball Test, which has been a convention for all touring teams for the past few years but the Indian board has made it clear that they will not deviate from the traditional red-ball matches.

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With Indian team management, headed by chief coach Ravi Shastri, intimating the Committee of Administrators (CoA) that the team will take at least 18 months to prepare for the Day/Night Test, acting secretary Choudhary was told to pass on the message to CA chief executive James Sutherland.

CA wanted the opening Test at Adelaide from December 6-10 to be a pink ball Test match.

“I am directed to say by the Committee of Administrators that India would begin to play in the format only in about a year’s time. Under the circumstances, I regret to say that the proposed D/N test cannot be played and all tests will have to have the conventional structure,” Choudhary wrote in his e-mail to Sutherland.

Last week, Sutherland had told a radio station in Australia that India’s reluctance to play the pink ball Test was primarily because of their urge to win the series. Australia has not lost a single Test match under lights played at home.

On the other hand, among Indian players, only Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay have played Day/Night pink ball matches in Duleep Trophy.