CA wants India to play two day-night Tests in Australia

SYDNEY: India’s tour of Australia in 2021 could become the first series ever to feature more than one day-night Tests.

A Cricket Australia (CA) delegation, led by its chairman Earl Eddings, is set to meet the new BCCI administration on the sidelines of a limited-overs series in January with the question of day-night Tests fairly and squarely on the agenda.

With the MCG and SCG Tests set in stone as day matches played opposite the Big Bash League, this may likely mean the first two Tests - to be played in two of Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth - are both primed for the pink ball, especially given the better time slot for Indian broadcast audiences.

Negotiations have not yet begun, but “we’ll mention that when we’re over there in January talking during the one-day series,” Eddings told ESPNcricinfo. “As you build that trust and build that relationship you have that chat.

“Pleasingly they’ve played their first day-night Test and won easily. Now they’ve got through that it might give them the right build-up to it over here. I’ve got no doubt they’ll consider playing one and maybe even more day-night Test matches. But that’s down the track to when we catch up with them in January.”

Kevin Roberts, the CA chief executive, had earlier revealed the extent of the board’s enthusiasm for floodlit matches against India during an interview with ABC Radio.

When they asked how many pink-ball matches he would like to see next summer, he said, “in my heart I’d say four from four, in my head we’d love to play one of the four as a day-night Test.”

After a domineering victory against Bangladesh in India’s inaugural pink-ball Test in November, Indian captain Virat Kohli was asked about the prospect of one during the Australian tour next year.

Kohli said he was “open to do anything” as long as there was a practice match under lights. Then on Sunday, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said: “When we tour, we will deal as per the request of the (host) board.” CA is set to make the ask now.