The Committee of Administrators (CoA) chief Vinod Rai on Thursday firmly backed the Indian cricket team’s decision of not playing Day/Night pink ball Test against Australia during the upcoming tour Down Under at the end of 2018.
“What’s wrong with us wanting to win all the matches? Any team that steps out on a pitch wants to win. 30 years back they said that India plays Test matches only to draw, but they don’t say that anymore,” Rai said, at historian Boria Majumdar’s book launch in Delhi.
The former CAG said that India will play day-night Tests only when the players are ready. “Till the time Indian players say that they are ready to play day-night matches, there will be no day-night matches that India will play.”
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BCCI CEO Rahul Johri also defended the board’s decision. “Who we play, when we play, where we play and how we play is our prerogative. We will back everything for the Indian team to play to win,” said Johri.
The move by many has been perceived by many as India’s win at all costs strategy. Former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh, however, has labelled the move as “selfish”.
“It’s a little bit selfish from India’s point of view because we need to revitalise Test cricket,” Waugh said on Australia’s Big Sports Breakfast radio show.
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Interestingly, India, who is slated to host West Indies in a two-match Test series before flying to Australia, was expected to play a day-night Test in October, which is now not happening.
Rai, however, said that the BCCI has done 90 per cent things correctly over the years and the 10 per cent that needs to be corrected will be done in the due course of time.
As he was speaking at cricket historian Boria Majumdar’s book launch, Rai said: “BCCI had done tremendous work in terms of building infrastructure. 90 per cent of the things that they have done is good work. It is the 10 per cent work that needs a course correction and that will be done.”
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