Ganguly backs pink-ball cricket in India

Sourav Ganguly, the head of BCCI's technical committee, sees a future for pink-ball day-night Tests in India despite the board not having made any headway into hosting one in the near future. The Cricket Association of Bengal, of which Ganguly is president, first trialled the concept in June last year when Eden Gardens hosted the Super League final, a local tournament, between two prominent Kolkata clubs.

The concept, introduced by the BCCI during the Duleep Trophy in August-September last year, was initially shelved from the 2017-18 domestic season, only to be reinstated. The former India captain, who has been backer of the pink-ball format, intervened by taking the matter up with the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators.

"As far as Duleep Trophy is concerned, my view is very clear: How can you kill a tournament? It has to be discussed either in the working committee or the special AGM," he was quoted as saying by Mid-day. "You can't chuck away a tournament one fine morning. I do understand the packed calendar, but somehow we have found a window for this and we have to keep on trying to keep it significant."

Ganguly insisted the pink-ball concept, even if not embraced wholeheartedly by the board, needed to be trialled continuously so that India could be ready at some stage to host day-night Tests. He cited the importance of having healthy crowds, which has not always been the case in India for Tests in recent years, as the major reason to continue with the concept.

"It's not about me being a fan of the pink ball," he said. "The idea is to bring back crowds to Test cricket and that's the reason the Duleep Trophy is being played under lights and with the pink ball. The first pink-ball Test in 2015 between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide was house full. The recent Birmingham Test contested by England and West Indies drew big crowds too. So as an administrator, I would like to see packed houses for Test cricket."