Faiz Fazal thrilled by red-ball return for Duleep Trophy final

Indian Green skipper Faiz Fazal was delighted that the Duleep Trophy final will not be a day-night, pink ball affair.

Faiz Fazal has won five domestic titles in the last two years -- two Ranji trophies, two Irani trophies and a Duleep Trophy, all as captain.

There were reports that the 2019 Duleep Trophy final could be a day-night, pink ball affair, but it has since been announced that the fixture would follow the traditional red-ball, day match route. India Green skipper Faiz Fazal, for one, is thrilled that the pink ball is not in use.

"The Duleep Trophy used the pink ball for the last three editions. Thankfully, the red ball is back for all matches this year, including the final. I never liked the pink ball. On Indian pitches, if the batsmen can see out the first 8-10 overs, there’s nothing in it for the bowlers," Vidarbha stalwart Fazal said on Tuesday.

"The pink ball loses its seam very quickly. And once that happens, guys can get big hundreds. There is no point to it. Batsmen get selected for higher honours based on those big scores. It is not competitive cricket," he added.

READ | Duleep Trophy final: India Red faces India Green as tournament awaits outright result

Fazal dismissed concerns that the Duleep Trophy has lost the legacy status and importance it once enjoyed.

"The Duleep Trophy is a huge tournament. When our team arrived in Bengaluru, we had a meeting where we clearly set our goal – win the tournament. When you aim to do well for your team, your best performance naturally comes out. But if you think of yourself - saying I want to pick up wickets and score runs for my own personal record - things can go wrong. This is not about the individual. All said and done, this is First-Class cricket," Fazal said.