The ICC’s decision to allow pink balls during day Tests was welcomed by India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Friday who said it would give an opportunity for teams to get results in matches affected by the weather.
“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,” Gambhir said on the eve of the one-off Test against Afghanistan.
“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,” he added.
He also acknowledged that the change from red to pink ball in the same match could be a major adjustment problem for players but if there is a WTC final spot on the line, flexibility would be expected.
“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. 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 said.
Earlier this week, ICC had approved the trial run for a switch from red ball to pink ball midway through a Test to deal with the issue of bad light reducing playing time. Both teams would have to agree before the start of the game to the change in the colour of the ball if the weather dictated so and play under lights.
The ICC board approved the recommendations of its Chief Executives Committee during the meeting in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The proposal to use different balls during a Test was among the many that the ICC board has approved. So far in Test matches, teams can either use the red ball or pink.
