A new ball game

Rarely has a Test match at home been promoted as aggressively as the one between India and Bangladesh in Kolkata. In a pure cricketing sense, the contest appears to be a gross mismatch — the beleaguered visitors squaring up against an Indian side that in recent times has acquired the aura of a relentless winning machine. Yet, despite the lopsidedness of it all, the occasion is enormously significant: It is, after all, the first time India is playing a day-night Test match.

Until recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was opposed to the very idea of day-night Tests, seemingly due to apprehensions over the behaviour of the pink SG ball, evening dew, and the general visibility of the ball. The change in the BCCI’s stance arrived only after Sourav Ganguly took over as president; the former India captain had been a strong proponent of pink-ball cricket in the past.

The coming of day-night cricket to India is exciting for two reasons: One, it promises to give fans something new, a desperately needed novelty that seems to have got lost amid the rollicking circus that is limited-hours cricket; and two, if India, the preeminent force in world cricket — financially as well as on the pitch — agrees to make day-night Tests a routine affair at home, then other countries may have to follow suit.

Day-night Tests are going through a bit of a rough patch. Australia continues to report strong attendances for such games — it introduced the world to pink-ball cricket against New Zealand in Adelaide in 2015 — but England, a genuine powerhouse in the longest format, has hosted the solitary day-night game, arguing that it attracts impressive crowds anyway. Bangladesh and South Africa, too, have refused to stage day-night Tests, owing to doubts over the ball.

In India, at least, the initial response seems to have been overwhelmingly positive. Tickets for the first three days are sold out — a rarity for a Test match anywhere in the world. What makes day-night Test cricket potentially so compelling is the fact that unlike regular Test cricket, the vastly different phases of play lend themselves to greater tactical acuity. How a batsman faces up to the moving ball in the twilight, for instance, is something that will be interesting to watch. Similarly fascinating will be the spinners trying to tackle the evening dew, particularly at venues such as New Delhi and Mohali. 

At the same time, the administrators must do everything they can to allay the players’ fears over the playing conditions. The new pink ball generally does a lot more than the red one, thereby favouring seamers. But once it grows old, it becomes difficult to grip — it goes soft due to the thick pink lacquer coating — making wicket-taking difficult. Such teething problems must be overcome if the cricket boards hope to retain player — and more importantly, spectator — interest in the format. 

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is confident that pink-ball cricket, along with its ambitious World Test Championship, will act as the tonic that cricket’s ailing original format seriously needs. And while this seems like a welcome experiment, the ICC must understand that a lot more needs to be done to make Test cricket an appealing prospect again.

For starters, the overall quality of cricket has to improve — too many uneven duels have blighted the romance of Test match cricket. Moreover, facilities in stadiums — particularly in the subcontinent — continue to be poor. Better basic amenities will undoubtedly pull in bigger crowds. And lastly, the ICC would do well to persuade boards to come up with a proper Test calendar. In England and Australia, where Tests are regularly played in front of massive crowds, a calendar allows fans to plan for a Boxing Day or New Year’s Test well in advance. More than day-night Tests, instilling a similar culture elsewhere might help revive Test cricket.