India last hosted a pink-ball Test in 2022 and is set to play its fifth day-night Test later this year during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Despite the initial excitement surrounding these matches, the BCCI has shown reluctance to schedule more of them on home soil.
India's first experience with a day-night Test came in November 2019 when they faced Bangladesh at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Since then, India has hosted only three pink-ball Tests at home, and it has been over two years since the last one. While the team is preparing for an upcoming day-night Test in Australia, the BCCI’s cautious approach towards scheduling such matches in India has raised questions.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah recently explained the board’s reluctance, attributing it to concerns over how these matches have unfolded. Shah pointed out that pink-ball Tests in India have often ended within just 2-3 days, which compromises the traditional five-day format and the competitive balance of the games. “You buy a ticket for a five-day match, but the game ends in 2-3 days… There is no refund. I am slightly emotional about this,” Shah told The Times of India.
India’s first pink-ball Test against Bangladesh ended within three days, with the hosts winning by an innings and 46 runs under Virat Kohli’s captaincy. The trend continued when India hosted England in a day-night Test, which wrapped up in just two days, drawing criticism for its low scores and overly favourable spin conditions. India's third pink-ball match at home saw them defeat Sri Lanka by 238 runs, but that was the last time a day-night Test was held in India.
Shah also revealed that the ICC had requested the BCCI to step in and host the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup, originally set to be held in Bangladesh, due to ongoing political unrest and protests in that country. However, the BCCI declined the offer. “Next year, we’ll host the 50-overs Women’s World Cup. We do not want to give any signal that we want to host consecutive World Cups,” Shah explained.