Sourav Ganguly bats for day night Tests in India

Former Indian cricketer Sourav Ganguly firmly believes that India needs to play day-night Tests at home. This is the best way for India to get back the huge crowds to the stadium. The ongoing fifth and final Test between India and England at Chennai saw sparse crowd attendance. At the very same time, the day-night Test between Australia and Pakistan witnessed a record attendance at Gabba, Brisbane for a non-Ashes Test.

Without a doubt, the day-night Tests are the way to go ahead. Sourav Ganguly could only support the same statement. He cited that during the day time, work of people is the major hurdle, that is the reason why most people don’t make it to the grounds.

In an exclusive with the India Today, Ganguly quoted, “Adopting Day-Night Tests is common sense and it has to come to India. The biggest hindrance of 5-day cricket is that people have to work, even someone like me who has played so much cricket and who is so passionate about the game has to work during the day and I miss a lot of cricket so it is quite natural for somebody else.”

Talking about the crowd attendance in the Pakistan-Australia fixture, Ganguly said it is obvious that if India plays a day-night match in Australia, the stadium will be jam-packed. “66,000 people came for Australia vs Pakistan Test match, imagine when India goes to Australia, there may be an India vs Australia Brisbane Test or an MCG Test under lights and it is going to be packed. So that is the way forward for Test cricket,” added the former India skipper.

In order to boost Test cricket in India, Ganguly also remarked that taking the games to smaller venues might help. He reflected back at how the Indore Test between India and New Zealand saw excellent crowd throughout the Test match.

“I don’t think in India it is possible that if people don’t turn up for a Test in a state association then you just take the game away. It is a lot easier in places like Australia or England where elections and boards are not that important so from that point of view it is going to be difficult for India to take the game away from venues but India is surely going to smaller venues,” said Sourav Ganguly.

He further added that venues like Ranchi will gather big crowds during the Australia series. Also, he cited the weekends to be the ideal days to pull out more crowd.

“When Australia comes there will be a Test match in Ranchi and I think there will be a lot of people watching, New Zealand played against India at Eden Gardens and there were 35 to 40,000 people watching the Test match on a weekend and once again I say a Saturday-Sunday which means people are off work and people can come to cricket. But once again I’d say that the way forward is Day-Night Test cricket in India,” conceded Ganguly.