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India, being the undisputed flag bearer of cricket in the world, have gone toe-to-toe with the rest of the nations in terms of being competitive, innovative, and open to new ideas. However, if there is one aspect that they have lagged behind in recent times is the pink-ball Test.
When the concept was first introduced in Australia, the feeling among fans was that it would soon be brought over to the subcontinent. However, India were among the last nations to host a pink-ball Test among the big nations, and even after that, the idea has just not stuck like it was expected.
To make matters worse for fans leaning towards innovation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not have any plans for hosting such contests because of the lack of competitiveness observed across the ones played so far.
"No, there are no provisions. Pink-ball Tests get over within two days in India. As a result, spectators lose money, broadcasters lose money. We need to look at sentiments also. As a fan, you go to a cricket match and buy a ticket for five days, but the game gets over within two-three days. There is no refund. So, I am slightly emotional in this case," BCCI secretary Jay Shah recently told the Times of India.
On that note, let us dissect the pink-ball circuit in India, and assess whether it has a future or not.
How much is the pink ball to be blamed for the short match span?
Only thrice have India ever hosted a pink-ball contest, and all of them have been overwhelmingly one-sided. The hosts have hardly faced a challenge in those matches, with none of them even going until the fourth day. The batters have found it difficult to negotiate the pink ball, with its extra lacquer and pronounced seam allowing swing for a long period.
Surprisingly, the spinners have also come into play with the pink ball. Batters have found it hard to read the spinners at night and the pink ball has also aided turn more than expected. The likes of Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin boast impeccable numbers with the pink ball.
It's not only the overseas batters who have struggled against the pink ball, the Indian batters have fared no better as well. The excessive swing and the turn have caught them out, making long-lasting matches quite difficult to produce.
However, on the flip side, the surfaces used in those matches should also be taken into account. The pitches used in Team India's red-ball triumphs against England and Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru, respectively, in recent years, received 'average' and 'below average' ratings from the ICC.
It brings the bad pitch vs bad batting argument into place to an extent, but does the pink ball deserve to be blamed this much for the matches being wrapped up well inside five days?
Back in 2022, Ajinkya Rahane commented on the poor pitches being produced in India in recent times and cited it as a reason for the drop in averages when it came to the middle-order batters in the side.
"I don’t think there were many mistakes. It’s not every time that we are committing the mistakes. Sometimes the wickets are such, this is no excuse but everyone saw the kind of wickets we had in India," Rahane had said in an interaction with the Indian Express in 2022.
How have pink ball Tests in other nations fared?
The short duration of the matches have been the principal issue behind hosting pink ball games in India. But is it a common theme in India or the rest of the world as well?
The most recent pink ball match between Australia and the West Indies lasted four days. In fact, Australia have hosted the vast majority of day-night Tests (13 out of 22 matches), and only a couple of them have lasted all five days. A vast majority have ended in the early stages of the fourth day, while several have finished on the third day itself. So, it is a universal issue, which only India see as a problem.
As far as the fan's perspective is concerned, it certainly is a shame that matches cannot be produced that long. But depriving all of it to fans is not the solution, when there are measures that can be taken. It might take a while, but there is a lot of scope for this variation of the longest format, which the ICC is desperately trying to save and generate interest in the first place.
Have India faced enough quality opponents with the pink ball at home?
As mentioned earlier, India have played three home pink-ball Tests, which came against Bangladesh, England, and Sri Lanka. Now, are these oppositions against whom a five-day contest is expected irrespective of the ball? England, perhaps, but still not a certainty. While the rest are safe bets.
Bangladesh have never beaten India in a red-ball clash, while Sri Lanka have never defeated the Men in Blue away from home. No other top side have played a pink ball Test in India, and chances are that they might not emerge victorious, but it still might lead to a competitive game, which is the ulterior motive here.
There is another angle that needs to be considered here. Is the red-ball really an improvement over the pink-ball when it comes to the longevity of a contest in the subcontinent?
Only a small fraction of Tests in India anyway last over four days. The abrasive pitches in general and the relentless spinners ensure that the batters do not survive for long periods. All pink ball has done is catalyze the already short-lasting contests, and it is largely down to the difficulty in adapting.
To be fair, the players also cannot be blamed in this scenario. Playing with a pink ball once every two to three years, and coupled with the poor pitches, the recipe is laid down for short-lived matches.
To conclude, the results and quality of games will only improve when players get consistent exposure to the same, which is why instead of shunning, it should be cultivated.
Introducing the pink ball variation across domestic and youth-level contests is another measure that can be taken so that the youngsters have a grip on it and do not get awed by it at the international level.
Three matches that too against inferior opponents is a very small sample size, which is why more pink ball matches against some top sides should be conducted before deciding to pull the plug altogether.
