Though the England cricket team will be hopeful of a strong bowling performance with the pink ball in the day-night third Test in Ahmedabad’s Motera Stadium, India cricket team captain, Virat Kohli is least bothered by it.
After Chepauk’s turning pitch ended up being the destroyer for Joe Root’s side in the second Test match, where the host defeated England by 317 runs to level the series at 1-1, the nature of Motera’s turf has been the talk of the town.
First pink-ball Test at Motera 👌
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 20, 2021
State-of-the-art facilities 👏
As the world's largest cricket stadium gears up to host the @Paytm #INDvENG pink-ball Test, excitement levels are high in the #TeamIndia camp 😎🙌 - by @RajalArora
Watch the full video 🎥👇https://t.co/Oii72qDeJK pic.twitter.com/NqhEa7k7mm
Despite the pitch’s uncertainty, it is widely known that a pink ball would swing more than a red ball, giving fast bowlers a real chance in the game. But, Kohli rejected the notion that it would give England the upper hand.
"...not really bothered about what the strengths and weaknesses of the English team are. We have beaten them in their home as well, where the ball does way more and hold them out every time so we're not really bothered with that. It's just about playing well as a team," Kohli said in the pre-match press conference.
"And yeah, there are many, many weaknesses in the opposition side as well, if you are keen to exploit them. If it's a seamer-friendly track for them it's for us as well.
"And we probably have, you know, among other teams, the best bowling attack in the world so we're not really bothered by what the ball might bring differently to the table. We're ready for anything that comes our way," the skipper stated.
The Indian team has a good idea of how a pink ball would behave in Asian conditions from their series against Bangladesh in 2019. And Kohli admitted that it will pose equal challenges to the hosts.
#TeamIndia practice under lights as they gear up for the pink-ball Test at the Cricket Stadium at Motera. 👍👍 @Paytm #INDvENG
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 22, 2021
Here are a few snapshots from the nets session 📸👇 pic.twitter.com/bXOMd5ARxn
"It is much more challenging to play with a pink ball regardless of the pitch you play on. Especially in the evening, if as a batting team, you are starting your innings under lights then that one and a half hours are very challenging," Kohli pointed out.
"Yes, the spin will come into play for sure, but I don't think the new ball and fast bowlers can be ignored. The pink ball does bring them into the game till the ball is nice and shiny, something we are very aware of and preparing accordingly," he added.
Feature Image Courtesy: AFP/ Brenton Edwards
