India to play first day/night Test at home this year: Anurag Thakur

In order to raise the ever dwindling number of spectators, the BCCI is all set to host its first-ever day/night cricket Test with pink balls when New Zealand tour later this year.

“We have decided that we will play one day/night Test with the pink ball against New Zealand later this year. Before that the Duleep Trophy will act as a dress rehearsal for the match,” BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said at the BCCI’s headquarters in the capital on Thursday.

Thakur said that the main objective of the Duleep Trophy would be to check how the pink Kookaburra ball behaves under lights.

“While we have not zeroed in on the venue, there are lots of factors that need to be taken into account. Things like dew, how the spinners bowl with the pink Kookaburra on Indian pitches. These things we will get an idea during the Duleep Trophy,” said Thakur.

It is expected that all leading players will be at that Duleep game in order to get an idea and also give a feedback to the board before they go ahead with the Test match.

While Test matches in India are played with ‘SG Test’ balls, Thakur said that in this upcoming match it will be a ‘pink Kookaburra’ that will be used.

“We may ask SG to manufacture pink balls later but that has to be of the quality of balls that Kookaburra produces,” said Thakur.