I feel the pink ball isn't a good idea: Sachin Tendulkar

In the year 1932, the Indian team led by CK Nayudu led the team in England on June 25, 1932. 84 years later, the Virat Kohli-led side is set to play the 500th at the Green Park Stadium, Kanpur. In this span of 500 matches, Test cricket has changed a lot.

These days the longest format, regarded as the purest and the toughest in cricket, is fighting for its survival. The crowd interest is slowly dying which has become a matter of concern. The ICC and other cricket boards are trying to make various changes and modification in order.

One such change which seems to be working currently is the day-night format introduced just about a year ago. The idea of the pink ball is slowly changing the rules of the game. Many feel this the right way of keeping the format alive. However, cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar feels otherwise.

“Personally, I do not like the idea of playing with a pink ball. A lot of adjustments are being made and I feel the pink ball isn’t a good idea,” Sachin Tendulkar said. Tendulkar was a part of a star-studded panel of former captains that included Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Krishnamachari Srikanth, Ravi Shastri and Sourav Ganguly, all of whom had gathered here to mark the historic occasion. Present captain Virat Kohli was a part of the panel too. And, in the audience were Sunil Gavaskar and Mohammad Azharuddin.

“I am not sure how the pink ball will respond to evening dew. Pitches in different parts of the world behave in different ways. Like Durban has a different surface when the sun goes down. Possibly, a better way is to have wickets that favour bowlers equally,” Tendulkar said.

Shastri seconded Sachin, saying: “I agree with every bit of what Sachin said. Dew is a major factor. The way is to have a better balance between batting and bowling.”

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“Test matches will be interesting and will draw the crowds if we ensure better wickets. In England and Australia, Test cricket still sees a full house. You have to make good quality wickets,” said Dilip Vengsarkar.

“Good wicket, good marketing, competitive cricket, all of these need to be done,” felt ICC CEO David Richardson.

“As cricketers, we often forget where we are taking the game. But, today’s generation knows how to ensure that the crowds come in. In those days, we never thought this way. However, these youngsters will have to work extra hard to ensure that people watch Test cricket in large numbers,” opined Kapil.

For India captain Virat Kohli, Test remained the “most important format of the game still.” Sitting alongside the greats of Indian cricket, Kohli said: “We will keep Test cricket where it belongs. We will try our best to take the legacy forward.”