Dharamshala may host the 1st Day &Night Test of India in October
Author(s): Arvind SharmaDharamshala, April 22, 2016: Dharamshala will create history by hosting the first Day & Night test match in India at HPCA stadium in October this year against visiting New Zealand cricket team. This was indicated...
Dharamshala, April 22, 2016: Dharamshala will create history by hosting the first Day & Night test match in India at HPCA stadium in October this year against visiting New Zealand cricket team. This was indicated by BCCI General Manager for Cricket Operations Dr.MV Sridhar, who was also the tournament director of the 2016 World Twenty20, during his recent visit to Dharamshala.
Another official of BCCI on the condition of anonymity said that Dharamshala is a small stadium with a capacity of around 26,000 spectators and could give a better display of its capacity in all the 5 days.
Now BCCI secretary and President of HPCA Anuraag Thakur confirming about the match has said,” India is set to host a day-night Test during New Zealand's visit later this year.” Though he didn’t indicated the name of Dharamshala center, but sources say that preparations regarding this event has already been started.
The detail of the tour dates are yet to be finalized. It is being added here that HPCA’s Dharamshala stadium has been cleared for test matches by ICC, earlier this. Dharamshala will also be given Duleep trophy final as dress rehearsal.
BCCI secretary said on Thursday that the BCCI would use the pink Kookaburra ball for the Test match.
"We have decided that we will play one day-night Test match with pink ball against New Zealand later this year," Thakur said. "Before that, Duleep Trophy will act as a dress rehearsal for the day-night Test match."
There have been widespread concerns over the pink Kookaburra - particularly its durability and its visibility - and the Adelaide Test last November, the first ever to be played under floodlights, was played on a grassier-than-normal surface to ensure the ball lasted 80 overs. South Africa's players, including their Test captain AB de Villiers, have expressed their reluctance to play a day-night Test during their 2016-17 tour of Australia.
The pink ball is yet to be trialed in India, where dew could be a concern under lights, and Thakur said the Duleep Trophy would serve as a trial run before the Test.
"While we have not zeroed in on the venue, there are lots of factors that need to be taken into account," Thakur said. "Things like dew factor, how the spinners bowl with the pink Kookaburra on Indian pitches. These things we will get an idea [of] during the Duleep Trophy."
Given the need for India's players to acclimatize to playing with the pink ball, it is expected that all the major names from the Test team will feature in the Duleep Trophy.
SG manufactures the red ball normally used in India's Test matches. Thakur said a pink SG could be a possibility in the future. "We may ask SG to manufacture pink balls later but that has to be of the quality of pink balls that Kookaburra produces."