Gabba set for summer opener

THE Gabba appears to have won the hotly-contested shootout to host the prized first Test against India next summer but a push for a day-night contest seems doomed.

The Apex Council of the Board of Control for Cricket in India met in Delhi at the weekend and, according to Cricinfo, has agreed to play the first Test at the Gabba in December.

Cricket Australia sources said yesterday they were waiting to receive official notification of the decision.

Brisbane had been jostling with Perth and Adelaide, but Perth now seems likely to miss out on one of the four Indian Tests, with Sydney and Melbourne certain hosts over the Christmas-New Year period.

The Gabba bid was strongly supported by Australia’s players who feel the venue brings out the best in their game, despite the fact the redevelopment of Adelaide and the new stadium in Perth have left it in the shade.

Australia’s proud record of not having lost a Brisbane Test in three decades also counted in the venue’s favour in the Australian push to have it open the summer.

It is a sign of India’s increased confidence as the world’s No.1 nation that they will tackle this head-on.

Australia wanted two daynight Tests in the four-Test series but India are understood to have said they will play only one, which is likely to be in Adelaide.

Indian cricket has a progressive look under new BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, who is keen for his Test team to play more day-night games.

But when asked recently if India would play two daynight Tests in Australia, Ganguly responded: “Two out of four would be a bit too much.”

India played their first daynight Test only this summer, against Bangladesh in Kolkata.

Influential Indian captain Virat Kohli said recently his team was happy to play a daynight Test in Australia, so long as they had time to prepare.

“It’s become a very exciting feature of any Test series and we’re open to playing daynight Tests,’’ Kohli said.