Last Updated on 3 hours ago by Charbel Coorey
Gautam Gambhir has backed the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) idea of switching from a red ball to pink ball for Test matches likely to be impacted by bad light. Earlier this week, the ICC announced it would trial the move, with captains needing to agree before the start of the match.
Ahead of India’s one-off Test against Afghanistan, Gambhir said that getting a result should be the priority. If switching to a pink ball allows for it, then it is something the India coach would be happy with.
“I love that because I’ve always believed that if there’s an opportunity to get a result, you should always have that opportunity,” Gambhir said. “Imagine if you are playing the last Test match before the World Test Championship (WTC) final and you have the chance to win that Test match to qualify, and because of bad light, it’s not happening. So I’m all for it.”
Gautam Gambhir in favour of pink ball switch, references World Test Championship context
The former opener believes the context of the WTC can encourage captains to agree. This is amid some commentary online from fans that switching to a pink ball can be a lottery depending on who is batting when during a Test.
“If there’s an opportunity to get the result, if both teams agree to it… I know it could be a little unfair and difficult for the players, but imagine working hard for two years and the last Test match before the World Test Championship final, if you don’t play five days because of bad light, how unfair that could be,” said the Indian coach.
“So I think it’s a proactive move, it’s a positive move, and, hopefully, the teams will start taking it in a positive way.”
India will play Test cricket for the first time since losing 2-0 at home to South Africa in November 2025. They take on Afghanistan starting Sunday (non-WTC match) before a string of white-ball matches in the coming months. Their next WTC assignment is away to New Zealand in November, and Gambhir still has hope of India reaching the final.
“You are always optimistic because we know the kind of quality we have and the kind of talent we have. I don’t think there is any reason not to believe that we cannot win the World Test Championship and that is what not only we but everyone sitting in the dressing room believes,” Gambhir said.
“Yes, we can have one-odd bad series here and there but we know the kind of talent and how much hunger we have in the dressing room.”
