India coach Gautam Gambhir praises ICC’s pink ball trial for one-day Test matches

India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Friday backed the ICC’s decision to allow the use of pink balls in one-day Tests, calling it a practical way to force matches to a result when bad light threatens to throw innings out of play. On the eve of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, Gambhir said he was firmly in favor of any measure that would help preserve the possibility of a decisive finish.

The ICC approved the process at its board meetingwith the change allowed only if both teams agree to it in advance and only “to maximize play in the event of expected poor light”. The rule will take effect on October 1. It is understood that such matches will start with the traditional red ball before switching to the pink ball under floodlights if the lighting conditions deteriorate and otherwise overs would be lost.

“I love it. The reason is that I always believe that if there is an opportunity to get a result, you should always have it,” Gambhir said.

His support is not difficult to place in the context of India’s upcoming plan. The team is expected to host the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in February-March, with the third Test in Guwahati and the final in Ranchi – both places in eastern India where daylight fades early and surges can be quickly lost due to poor light.

Gambhir framed the issue through the lens of the Test World Cup, where weather and light can undermine months of hard work.

“Imagine you are playing the last Test match before the World Test Championship final and you have a chance to win that Test match and qualify. Because of the bad light it doesn’t happen. I’m all for it if there’s an opportunity to get a result and both teams agree to it,” he said.

He admitted that switching from a red ball to a pink ball during a match could require significant adjustments from players, but argued that the alternative could be far more damaging.

“I know it can be a bit uncertain or difficult for players who are playing a Test match, but imagine you are toiling hard for two years and it’s the last Test match before the World Cup final,” Gambhir said.

“If it gets worse, if you don’t play for five days because of bad luck, how precarious can it be? So I think it’s a proactive step. It’s a positive step and hopefully teams will start to take it positively,” he added.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

05 Jun 2026 16:17 IST