Kumble: Pink ball Test still long way off

Anil Kumble, chairman of the the ICC Cricket Committee, backed day-night Tests as he believed it would draw the crowds. "I would certainly back day-night (Test) cricket. Anything we need to do to get crowd back to Test cricket..." he said in a Twitter Q&A session.

Anil Kumble expects all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja to do well in the West Indies series.

India’s head coach Anil Kumble today made it clear that ‘Pink Ball Test’ is “still a long way” off even as he called it the future of Test cricket.

“We haven’t really thought about pink ball yet as far as I know. It’s still a long way. We will be playing with Dukes red ball in the West Indies. I would like to take one match at a time. The West Indies series is important for us. We have practised (at NCA Bengaluru) for last six days with red Dukes,” he said in a Twitter Q&A session.

However, India’s highest wicket-taker, who is also chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee, admitted that day-night Test match is the way forward.

“I would certainly back day-night (Test) cricket. Anything we need to do to get crowd back to Test cricket... At least that is the future. In day-night matches, people can come into the stadium after office hours,” said Kumble.

The coach called Virat Kohli a “fantastic batsman and leader” and said he is excited to work with him.

“I am really excited to work with Virat. I have seen him as U-19 at the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He has matured a lot in last couple of years. He is a fantastic batsman and leader. He is really aggressive and so was I. I am really looking forward towards working with him.”

Kumble expected Ravindra Jadeja to do well as the wickets in the Caribbean will suit his style of bowling.

“Jadeja is a wonderful all-rounder. I had a chat with him about his bowling. I think with his bowling, he can do a great job and be effective in West Indies conditions, which is pretty similar to Indian conditions. I have also spoken to him about his batting ability as he can score a lot of runs. I am looking forward to Jadeja doing a great job not only as a bowler but also as batsman,” said the former India captain.