The Pink Ball Test between India and Australia in Adelaide on December 17 will be the first time Virat Kohli's side plays an overseas D/N Test.
When Mitchell Starc bowled the first ball to Martin Guptill in Adelaide in November 2015, history was created. Starc became the first bowler and Guptill became the first batsman to play with a Pink Ball in international cricket. The first Day/Night Test between New Zealand and Australia signalled the arrival of something spectacular in cricket. TV viewership rose, the stadium was jam-packed. There was the concept of a dinner break, not a lunch break. Tea was taken first, dinner later. Everything changed in cricket. Australia once again became the pioneers of something new in international cricket.The match made for low scores and intriguing viewing and it was Australia who scrapped home in a three-wicket win as New Zealand were denied the chance of making history.
Five years since that day in November, the Pink Ball Test has become the hallmark of the Australian summer calendar. It has been played by every nation, with the Indian cricket team and Bangladesh being the last to try out the Pink Ball Test format in 2019. Zimbabwe had played before them and it was a novelty that they were part of a four-day Pink Ball Test that included 98 overs against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and England have also hosted the Pink Ball Test while South Africa have played one in Australia. West Indies' first Pink Ball Test away was against Pakistan and at home, it was against Sri Lanka in Barbados. Australia are currently the only nation to have not been defeated in the Pink Ball Test while India will be aiming to cause something spectacular as they gear up for their first overseas Day-Night Test. Ahead of the Adelaide match, let us look at some of the most memorable Pink Ball instances.
1. Pink Ball Test
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When it comes to Pink Ball Tests, it is obvious that Australia are in front with seven out of seven wins. Mitchell Starc is the leading wicket-taker in Pink Ball Tests and his five-wicket hauls against Pakistan and England in 2019 and 2017 respectively shows that he loves bowling with the Pink Ball. Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon have also reaped success along with Pat Cummins. Adelaide is not the only venue in Australia that hosts the Pink Ball Test. Brisbane's Gabba has also hosted Day-Night Tests against Pakistan and Sri Lanka while the new Perth stadium hosted the 2019 match against New Zealand. (Image credit: Twitter)
2. Pink Ball test
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Pakistan have played two Pink Ball Tests in Australia and have been beaten in both. In 2016/17, Pakistan came close to achieving a world record chase of 490 thanks to a century from Asad Shafiq but Mitchell Starc came up with four wickets and they lost by a narrow margin of 40 runs. In 2019, they were decimated by David Warner's 335 as they lost for a world record 14th consecutive time in Australia. (Image credit: Twitter)
3. Pink Ball Test
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In the past, India did not warm-up to the idea of the Pink Ball. In their domestic matches, they reported issues of lack of sighting in the ball while it also stopped swinging after a particular point in time. After three years of resistance, under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly, the BCCI finally hosted a Pink Ball Test against Bangladesh in Eden Gardens to record crowds for a Test match. Virat Kohli scored a hundred and Ishant Sharma was the star as India won their Pink Ball Test match by a big margin. (Image credit: Twitter)
4. Pink Ball test
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Dubai was the venue for the second Pink Ball Test in 2016 and it was in that match that Azhar Ali of Pakistan created history by becoming the first Pink Ball triple centurion. In the same match, Devendra Bishoo the legspinner of West Indies would pick up the best haul in Pink Ball Tests by taking 8/49. It was a dramatic match but Azhar Ali joined Younis Khan and Inzamam ul Haq as the other players to have hit triple centuries in Tests for Pakistan. (Image credit: Twitter)
5. Pink Ball Test
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David Warner smashed 335 against Pakistan in the Pink Ball Test in Adelaide and he passed Sir Dona Bradman's tally of 334 runs. This became the highest score by a batsman in Pink Ball cricket and it once again summed up Australia's dominance in Pink Ball Tests as Mitchell Starc put up a great performance. (Image credit: Twitter)
