Melbourne: Left-arm Australia pacer Mitchell Starc is pretty much excited at the prospect of playing a pinkball Test against India when the two teams lock horns against each other towards the end of the year in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
India had refused to play a daynight Test on its last tour to Australia in 2018-19 when it, under Virat Kohli, registered its first-ever Test series win Down Under.
However, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly in February had agreed that there would be a pink-ball Test in the upcoming tour.
I think absolutely a pink-ball Test in the series against India is a great thing, Starc was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
The fans love it, I think it creates a different aspect to the contest, bat and ball are closer together in that contest. India played a pink-ball game in India so they’re not completely foreign to it, he added.
Australia had played seven day-night Tests so far and has registered victories in all those matches. India, on the other hand, had played just one pinkball Test against Bangladesh in Kolkata which it won comprehensively within three days.
In terms of an advantage, if you like, we do have a good record at home with the pink ball, said Starc, who boasts an enviable record of 42 wickets at 19.23 from his seven day-night Tests.
That might come into a homeground advantage and it’s no different to us going to India and they’ve got the advantage there.
It’d be great to have a pinkball contest in that series and from the little bits I’ve seen and heard, India are very much open to that as well so that’s fantastic,’ he added.