India may witness its first ever day-night Test in October

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), as per latest reports, might host a day-night Test when West Indies tour India later this year. Syed Saba Karim, general manager of cricket operations at the BCCI, said BCCI is trying to experiment with day-night Test since they are impressed with the success it enjoyed in Australia and South Africa.

An attempt to save Test cricket 

India could witness its first ever day-night Test in October when the Windies will tour the country for three Tests, five one-day matches, and one Twenty20 game. Day-night Tests was one of the suggestions made by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to save Test cricket from going into a complete oblivion of the fan. The main differences between normal Tests and day-night Tests are the difference in timings and the difference in the type of ball used – the former uses a traditional red ball while the latter uses a pink one under the lights.

“There is a strong reason why we should have day-night Tests,” Karim told TOI. “If you look at it from a global perspective, then there are other nations who have gone ahead and played day-night Tests with some excellent results. They drew a large attendance.

“The ICC I believe has come up with a statement that all of us need to sit together to work out a system to save Test cricket. One of the suggestions was to have day-night Tests,” the former cricketer added.

With the growing influence of T20I and T20 cricket, the oldest and best format of the game is slowly losing its value. However, day-night Tests will be held at work-friendly hours, which means they can pull a decent crowd at the stadium.

The last day-night Test was played between South Africa and Zimbabwe last December in Port Elizabeth, which the Proteas won inside two days.