With India looking to join the list of countries to have hosted and played a day-night Test match, the supply of pink balls made for the format is a concern facing the cricket board, the Times of India reported on Tuesday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India faces a tight ask to ensure quality pink balls are available if and when the confirmation comes in for the proposed Test match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The brand of balls used in India for Test cricket is SG, but the maker has come in for criticism for quality of their red-balls as well in the recent past. The pink balls were used on a trial basis in the domestic circuit in India for Duleep Trophy in 2016, but the experiment did not take off.
“The board will need over 24 new balls at least to give to the teams for practice and play the match. Then there’s the need to have a library where you have replaceable balls at any point. That’s the tough part,” an official is quoted as saying by the newspaper.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said on Monday that he remained hopeful that Bangladesh will agree to play the first-ever day-night Test featuring India. The Test is scheduled to be held at the Eden Gardens from November 22 to 26.
The former Indian captain also confirmed that Virat Kohli is on board with the idea of a pink-ball Test.
“I must say that Virat Kohli is agreeable to it. There are reports that he does not want to play day-night Tests which is not the fact. So once the captain of India is agreeable to it, life becomes a lot easier. We will see how we can push it. The game needs to move forward,” Ganguly had said.