Harbhajan Singh suggests India should have agreed to play Day-Night Test in Australia

BCCI has refused to play Pink-Ball Test against Australia at Adelaide.

Harbahajn Singh | IANS

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to play pink-ball Test with Australia in the next tour. But cricket pundits aren't very impressed with this decision by BCCI.

India, Bangladesh, and Ireland are the only three current Test-playing nations to have avoided playing pink-ball cricket at the international level.

The out of favor India spinner Harbhajan Singh also raised the question on BCCI's move to refuse to play day-night Test.

Speaking at an event in Delhi, Harbhajan said the BCCI should have played their first Test under the lights. "I don't know why they don't want to play day-night Test matches. It's an interesting format and we should try it. I am all for it," Harbhajan said.

"Tell me what's the apprehension of playing with pink ball? If you play, you can adjust. It may not be as difficult as it seems," India's third-highest wicket-taker in Tests said.

The CoA has backed the Indian team's demands of not playing pink ball cricket for next 18 months. "I believe every team wants to win the series and that's why we want to give our team the best possible chance," CoA chief Vinod Rai had said at a function on Thursday, which was also attended by Harbhajan.

Indian batsmen could have faced trouble facing the Aussie pacers. But Harbhajan is sure Indian fast bowlers would not have left behind in doing so.

"So what if you get out? We have fast bowlers to trouble them. And what makes us think our batsmen can't take up the challenge of facing Aussie pacers. It's a challenge and what's the harm in taking up the challenge. When we were new to Test cricket, we had only learned how to bowl with SG Test and then slowly learned to bowl with kookaburra and dukes," he said.

Harbhajan then speaks about various challenges. "Don't you accept the challenge of playing England in overcast conditions in their country. Isn't that a challenge? If we could take up that challenge why not pink ball cricket," he questioned.

"Life is a learning process and there is no harm if we could adapt to a new format." 

ICC is trying to save the Test cricket, but the off-spinner thinks day-night cricket isn't a savior of the longer format. "Had it been so, it would have been introduced much earlier. But no harm playing pink ball tests from time to time," Harbhajan said

Harbhajan wants India to host day-night cricket. He also has a solution for the dew. "Then don't play pink ball Test in October-November, if you feel dew is a factor. Play at some other time when the dew factor can be negated but try out a new thing," he concluded.

 
 

By Sihyeu Singh - 18 May, 2018

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