‘We’re open to anything’: Virat Kohli on taking on Australia in a day-night Test match

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Post their series win against Bangladesh, Indian captain Virat Kohli said that they wanted to experience playing with the pink ball in their own conditions before taking on the challenge overseas. After the side passed the test with flying colours, the possibility of a day-night Test between India-Australia encounter next year seems to be drawing closer. The BCCI had earlier turned down Cricket Australia’s offer to play a pink-ball Test in Adelaide which was slated to begin on December 6, but after the Eden experience, both sides could well lock horns when India tour down under next season.

“There has to be planning for a pink-ball game,” Kohli said after the game. “We’re playing in home conditions, but if you ask the Bangladesh team, they’d have also liked a practice game. Because we know our conditions and the bowlers are really bowling well, so we don’t really feel the challenge or the things that are different about pink-ball cricket. Maybe when we play away from home we will figure out what could be even more difficult while playing with the pink ball. I think with a good practice game before that and enough time to prepare, we’re open to doing anything. You can’t just play it on short notice, like I mentioned last time.”

Earlier in the day, Australian captain Tim Paine had made a tongue-in-cheek comment over India’s participation in a day-night Test and Kohli was asked about the same in the post-match presser.

“We’ll certainly try [to start at the Gabba] but we’ll have to run that by Virat,” Paine said. “I am sure we’ll get an answer from him at some stage. That’s where we like to start our summer and has been for a long, long time except for last summer. As I said we’ll ask Virat, see if we can get his permission to play here. Maybe even get a pink-ball Test, if he’s in a good mood.”

On the eve of the Eden Gardens Test match, Kohli had spoken about the kind of preparation India would like on overseas tours if they were to play pink-ball Test. He also said that the team would ideally want to play a practice match as close to the actual game as possible and then head into the match.