Among the major Test playing nations, India is the only team not to have featured in a day-night Test. But with Sourav Ganguly taking charge as BCCI president, the No.1 side is set to play its first Test under lights against the touring Bangladesh side in Kolkata from November 22-26.
Earlier, Virat Kohli and company had some reservations against pink ball Test but it took the new BCCI boss “just three seconds” to convince the Indian captain.
"Honestly I don't know why and what was the reason they did not want to play and accept the D/N Test (in Adelaide). I met him for an hour and the first question was we need to have day/night Tests and the answer in three seconds was let's go ahead and do that," Ganguly said about meeting Kohli ahead of the selection committee meeting in Mumbai on October 24.
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Before the Australia tour last year, Team India had shot down Australia's request for a pink ball affair at the Adelaide Oval while the proposal of hosting West Indies in a day-night Test too had got shelved.
"I really don't know what happened in the past and what was the reason but I found him absolutely acceptable to play D/N Tests. He realizes and thinks that empty stands in Tests are not the right way forward."
In order to pull spectators to the stands, Ganguly is advocating for pink ball Test in India for the last three years. And he once again stressed on it.
"I know T20 every stand is full in every game. But proper management of Test cricket will bring back the crowd. It's a start for India. I think with this concept Test cricket will be back on its feet.
"Now people's lives have changed, you cannot leave offices so that's when you have to make adaptability. That's important. Most number of times change is good. A lot of time, we hold on to things thinking what you believe is right," Ganguly said.
Urging the need for better marketing, the BCCI chief said: "It's when you're forced to come out of your comfort zone, you actually find out it's better than what you think. I think the pink ball will bring back crowd and the Test cricket needs to be marketed a lot more."
(With PTI inputs)
