Ian unhappy over India’s D/N refusal

New Delhi, May 13: Indian cricket board’s approach of win at all costs without looking at the bigger picture by refusing to play a Day/ Night Test match against Australia is extremely disappointing, feels former captain Ian Chappell.

“The BCCI’s decision was extremely disappointing. Adelaide has become the unofficial home of daynight Test cricket, and the legacy of three years of rip-roaring success under lights there was expected to be further enhanced by the presence of a strong Indian team,” Chappell wrote in his column.

“No matter what excuse the BCCI offers, it’s hard to accept that this decision was anything other than the board looking to increase India’s chances of winning their first Test series in Australia against a weakened opponent,” Chappell wrote.

Australia will be without their premier batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner during the home series against India later in the year as they will be in the middle of their oneyear ban imposed on charges of ball tampering during Australia’s Test series in South Africa.

Chappell felt that game’s stakeholders talk about saving Test cricket but it has only amounted to mere lip service.

“Nowhere can I find even a hint of it being in ‘the best interests of the game’. In an age where T20 leagues are flooding the market, Test cricket needs nurturing from the officials if it is to survive this influx. D/N Test in centres where it’s viable is a must if the long form is to have a future in a market that is becoming ever more competitive and where the officials are constantly looking for ways to compress the game,” Ian opined.

— PTI