The Indian premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed his opinion about the pink ball and D/N Tests he said the Day-Night Test is the way forward.
The 33-year-old cricketer, saying it is a “ move in the right direction,” also supports his captain Virat Kohli’s logical reasons for having five permanent centers for the game’s longest format.
A reporter asked Ashwin’s opinion on the pink ball test and will he accept the change.
Ashwin said, “The pink ball Test match is a great welcoming sign. India as a Test-playing country, it was necessary for us to play the Day-Night Test. The office-going crowd which couldn’t catch Test cricket can now do so.”
He added, “Obviously, it is a challenge to play with a pink ball. The ball has a lot more lacquer. Personally I think we have taken the right direction we have taken, and hopefully, the Test match will be a historic moment and it will be the start of many more to come. For starters, you can’t sleep at 9 o’clock at night. Apparently, the game is starting at 1 pm.”
” I have never played a pink ball game. I didn’t play the Duleep Trophy that happened a few years ago. I have not even bowled a single ball with the pink ball. Obviously, I just saw it. Sometimes I don’t understand if its orange or pink, still coming to terms with that,” the off-spinner added.
Ashwin expects the pink ball to do a lot more in the test evening on a re-laid pitch in Kolkata.
Ashwin said, “But of late, with a lot of cricketers coming from different parts of the country, cricket has grown and gone to every nook and corner which is a great sign. Hence, we are having Test matches in various venues.”
He concluded by saying, “The understanding of a particular venue and keeping it that way will help the players. Whether or not that’s the right thing to do is something decision-makers will have to take.”