'Whenever it is held, there should be a practice game before' - Virat Kohli's condition for playing D/N Tests in Australia

The first-ever Day-Night Pink ball Test between India and Bangladesh is less than 24 hours away and the euphoria surrounding the historic occasion is at an all-time high. The Cricket Association of Bengal and the BCCI have left no stone unturned in making the feat a grand affair.

This will be the first time that Team India will be playing a Test match under the lights with the pink ball, which in turn is a stark departure from their stand regarding the Day/Night Tests in the past. In the past, India has been apprehensive about playing Day/Night Test cricket. Virat Kohli’s men had last year turned down the offer of playing under the lights during India’s 2018 tour of Australia at the Adelaide Oval, citing not enough practice as the reason for the same.

So, when the Indian captain was addressing the media ahead of the historic Test match, Kohli was faced with the question as to what will be his stance if Australia invites them to play the Day/Night Test during his sides’ four-match tour Down Under next summer. The Indian captain seemed quite open to the idea while also stating that there should be a practice match ahead of the fixture.

“Whenever it is held, there should be a practice game before,”  Virat Kohli was quoted by NDTV Sports.

‘It can’t be that sudden’- Virat Kohli

During the press-conference, Kohli was also asked why the team had refused to play the Day-Night Test in Adelaide last year. The Indian captain cited the lack of practice with the Pink Ball as the major reason, besides also stating that if the Test is well planned then he has no problem with it.

“It can’t be that sudden. You can’t just go in two days before and say you’re playing a pink-ball Test in a week’s time. We didn’t really think it was logical from that point of view. It needed a bit of preparation. Once you get used to playing it there’s no problem playing at all. You can plan in advance. We just thought it was spontaneous,” he said.

Kohli also felt that such things (Day-Night Tests) can’t be spontaneous and that played a major part in them not agreeing to play under lights last year.

“Obviously, we wanted to get a feel of pink ball cricket. Eventually, it had to happen. But you can’t just bring those things up before a big tour and suddenly in the schedule, there is a pink ball Test, when we have not even practiced with pink ball. We have not played any first-class game with the pink ball,” the skipper said.

Meanwhile, the preparations are in full swing at the Eden Gardens. Besides the fact that a whole host of personalities and from all walks of life are set to grace the occasion, the CAB will also honor the members of the Bangladesh team that took part in their inaugural Test back in 2000.

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