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Regular-article-logo Thursday, 25 April 2024

Turnout pleases Sourav

Sourav will also be talking to Kohli for his thoughts about the pink-ball Test

Arindam Bandyopadhyay Calcutta Published 24.11.19, 07:54 PM
People weren’t coming to watch Test matches, so I didn’t want players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to play before empty stands said Ganguly

People weren’t coming to watch Test matches, so I didn’t want players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to play before empty stands said Ganguly Telegraph file picture

The first-ever pink-ball Test in India has been held successfully, but BCCI president Sourav Ganguly feels Test cricket is still about the red ball.

“I would like to thank the people for coming to the Eden in huge numbers and making the event successful. But I don’t think it’s only about the pink ball… Test cricket is still about the red ball,” Sourav said on Sunday.

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“People weren’t coming to watch Test matches, so I didn’t want players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to play before empty stands,” he added.

Sourav will also be talking to Kohli for his thoughts about the pink-ball Test. “I’m convinced that the pink-ball Test will spread to other parts of the country. It can’t just be at Eden Gardens all the time. We have many beautiful grounds across the country… This will revive Test cricket...We all know everything changes with time including people’s taste. I remember when T20 started in 2007 and India won the World Cup, the format was not given much value. Ten years later, not a single seat has been empty in a T20 game,” the former India captain said.

Sourav’s former India teammate Harbhajan Singh too was pleased to see so many people in the stands at the Eden. “I have not seen so many people watch a Test match in the last 10 years. Credit goes to the BCCI, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Sourav for organising this match and the fans who made it successful,” Harbhajan said.

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