Practice With Pink Ball Only As And When Required: Sachin Tendulkar

Indian cricketers should practice with the pink ball for day-night Tests only as and when required, and there's no need to especially earmark some matches in Ranji Trophy or Duleep Trophy to get used to it as about 90 percent of Test cricket is played with the red ball, says Sachin Tendulkar. He, however, emphasized the need to find a balance between the red and pink balls.

Some experts questioned the Indian team's lack of preparation with the pink ball after the batsmen were bundled out for India's all-time low total of 36 in the second innings of the first day-night Test against Australia and lost by eight wickets.

Tendulkar, however, is not unduly perturbed, as he pointed out that only about 10 percent of Test cricket worldwide is played with the pink ball.

"I feel 90 percent Test cricket is played with the red ball, so the solution is to practice more and play more matches with the pink ball as and when possible," Tendulkar told IANS in an exclusive interview.

So, would it help if, say, Duleep Trophy, or a few Ranji Trophy matches, are played with the pink ball?

"Basically, we have played just one Test match in this series with the pink ball. So, it is 25 percent that was played with the pink while 75 percent will be played with the red ball. So, we have to find a balance between the two colored balls," he stressed.

"As of now, around the world, possibly 90 percent, or even more, of Test cricket is played with the red ball. So, one would stick to the red ball right and when the changes are made then one can think differently."

Before the first match against Australia in Adelaide, India had played a solitary day-night Test, against Bangladesh, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in November last year. India won that five-day match in three days.