Discover India’s performance in pink ball tests, analyzing their strengths, challenges, and evolution in day-night cricket matches. India will play their fifth pink-ball Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in the second match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting on December 6. This will be India’s second day-night Test away from home, with the first one also held at the same venue. That match was a tough moment for Indian fans initially, but it is now remembered positively because of what happened later.
India has hosted pink-ball Tests at three venues in 2019, 2021, and 2022. Let’s take a look at how India has performed in all their day-night Tests so far.
4. India vs Bangladesh – Eden Gardens; November 22-26, 2019
India played their first pink-ball Test in Kolkata with great excitement, like the start of a big tournament. It was also Ishant Sharma’s 10th Test. Bangladesh won the toss and decided to bat but struggled as Ishant took five wickets and Umesh Yadav got three, bowling them out for just 106 runs. Virat Kohli scored 136 runs from 194 balls, while Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane hit half-centuries. India declared their innings at 347/9. In the second innings, Bangladesh again struggled against India’s pacers, with Ishant taking four wickets and Umesh taking five. India won the match by an innings and 46 runs, marking a strong start to their pink-ball Test journey.
3. Australia vs India – Adelaide Oval; December 17-21, 2020
This was a memorable Test match for many reasons. India won the toss and chose to bat first. Virat Kohli scored a determined 75 runs off 180 balls, and India was all out for 244. Mitchell Starc took four wickets, and Pat Cummins got three. In response, India bowled well, with Ravichandran Ashwin taking four wickets, Umesh Yadav three, and Jasprit Bumrah two, bowling Australia out for 191.
At the end of Day 2, India lost Prithvi Shaw’s wicket but was still in a strong position. However, the first session of Day 3 turned the game upside down. India lost five wickets for just 26 runs in the first hour. After the drinks break, they were all out for only 36 runs, their lowest-ever Test score and the fourth-lowest in Test cricket history.
Also Read: 3 Star Players to Watch in SA vs PAK T20I Series 2024
Australia easily chased the target of 90 runs, winning with eight wickets in hand. Despite this shocking loss, India bounced back to win two of the next three matches, making this match an important part of their incredible series victory.
2. India vs England – Narendra Modi Stadium; February 24-25, 2021
In this unusual Test match, the only batters who scored well were openers Zak Crawley and Rohit Sharma. England won the toss and chose to bat but were dismissed for 112 runs in just over a session. Axar Patel took six wickets, and Ashwin took three. By the end of the first day, India had scored 99 runs but lost three wickets. On the second day, India were all out for 145 in the first session, with Joe Root taking 5/8 and Jack Leach 4/54. In England’s second innings, Axar took five more wickets, and Ashwin took four, bowling them out for just 81 runs. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill easily chased the target of 49 runs.
1. India vs Sri Lanka – Chinnaswamy Stadium; March 12-14, 2022
In India’s first pink-ball Test without Kohli as captain, Rohit won the toss and decided to bat. Shreyas Iyer scored 92 runs from 98 balls, and India were all out for 252 runs. Bumrah took five wickets, and Sri Lanka were bowled out for 109 runs. In the second innings, Iyer and Rishabh Pant scored half-centuries, helping India declare at 303/9, setting a target of 447 runs. Bumrah took three more wickets, and Ashwin took four, bowling Sri Lanka out for 208. India won by 238 runs. Sri Lanka’s captain, Dimuth Karunaratne, fought back with 107 runs from 174 balls in the second innings to avoid an even worse defeat.
Also Read: Happy Birthday Yuvraj Singh: Top 10 Records of India’s Cricket Star