"May Backfire": Ian Chappell Warns Australia On Playing 2 Day/Night Tests vs India

Ian Chappell believes Cricket Australia's plan of playing two Day/Night Tests against India in the 2020-21 tour Down Under "may backfire".

Former Australia skipper Ian Chappell believes Cricket Australia's plan of playing two Day/Night Tests against India in 2020-21 "may backfire" considering the fact that the Virat Kohli's team have a strong bowling attack. In a column for ESPNcricinfo, Chappell said: "Cricket Australia is contemplating two day-night Tests for the 2020-21 Indian tour." "However, if that ploy is meant to advantage Australia, it may backfire as India have a strong attack and (Virat) Kohli has already shown he's adept at captaincy in this part of the world," he added.

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, when Australia visit India next year for a limited-overs series in January, a Cricket Australia (CA) delegation, led by its chairman Earl Eddings, is set to meet the new BCCI administration with the question of day-night Tests on the agenda.

"Pleasingly they've played their first day-night Test and won easily. Now they've got through that it might give them the right build-up to it over here. I've got no doubt they'll consider playing one and maybe even more day-night Test matches. But that's down the track to when we catch up with them in January," Eddings said.

However, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly doesn't seem too keen on the idea.

"I have not heard anything officially from Cricket Australia. Two out of four will be a bit too much...it can't replace traditional Test matches. But we can have one Pink Test every series," Ganguly had said.

India last month played their first-ever pink-ball Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata where they clinched an emphatic victory over Bangladesh. After that Test, captain Kohli was asked about the prospect of playing a Day/Night Test during the Australia tour next year and he said he was "open to do anything" as long as there was a practice match under lights.