Skipper Virat Kohli said Sunday India was open to playing a day-night Test in Australia after the world number one ranked team crushed Bangladesh in just over two days of their international "pink-ball" debut.
Kohli's side won by an innings and 46 runs after bowling out Bangladesh for 195 in less than an hour into day three in Kolkata to sweep the series 2-0.
Day-night Tests with teams using a brighter pink ball instead of the classic red are a relatively new innovation, and India last year refused to consider playing one during their tour of Australia.
But Kohli, who made 136 in India's first innings against Bangladesh, said he felt his team was now ready for the challenge away from home if the schedule was planned well in advance.
"I think a good practise game before that and enough time to prepare -- we're open to doing anything," Kohli told reporters when asked if India would play one in Australia next year.
"You can't just play it on a short notice, like I mentioned last time. If there's time to prepare, we're open to take up Test cricket in any manner."
Australian skipper Tim Paine took a cheeky dig at Kohli when asked about scheduling the first India Test in Brisbane, where the hosts completed a dominant victory over Pakistan Sunday.
"We'll certainly try but we'll have to run that by Virat," Paine quipped after the Test win. "I'm sure we'll get an answer from him at some stage."
He added: "Maybe even get a pink-ball Test if he's in a good mood."
- Buzz Created -
India's first day-night Test was a grand affair with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in attendance on the opening day at Eden Gardens on Friday.
India's new cricket chief, Sourav Ganguly, had been instrumental in convincing the teams to play under floodlights.
Kohli said it was crucial to "market Test cricket" to draw-in more spectators in an age where crowds were flocking to the more shwashbuckling limited-overs games.
"If there's enough buzz created around Test cricket then there will be a lot more keenness to come to the stadiums," he said.
The latest series whitewash, the third in a row for India, consolidated their position at the top of the world Test championship, which took off this year to give the long form of the game greater.
Kohli's rampant side has won seven Tests in a row and recorded their 12th-straight series triumph on home soil on Sunday.
But Kohli played down their dominance.
"I think a more balanced format would be -- one series home, one away," Kohli said on the scheduling of the championship.
"As I said, we're playing very good cricket but we've played only two Tests away (in West Indies) in the Test championship.
India next play a limited-overs series against West Indies before heading to New Zealand for a tour that will include two Tests in January and February.
UK life sciences sector contributed £17.6bn GVA in 2021 and supports 126,000 high-skilled jobs.
Inward life sciences FDI fell by 58 per cent from £1,897m in 2021 to £795m in 2023.
Experts warn NHS underinvestment and NICE pricing rules are deterring innovation and patient access.
Investment gap
Britain is seeking to attract new pharmaceutical investment as part of its plan to strengthen the life sciences sector, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said during meetings in Washington this week. “We do need to make sure that we are an attractive place for pharmaceuticals, and that includes on pricing, but in return for that, we want to see more investment flow to Britain,” Reeves told reporters.
Recent ABPI report, ‘Creating the conditions for investment and growth’, The UK’s pharmaceutical industry is integral to both the country’s health and growth missions, contributing £17.6 billion in direct gross value added (GVA) annually and supporting 126,000 high-skilled jobs across the nation. It also invests more in research and development (R&D) than any other sector. Yet inward life sciences foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 58per cent, from £1,897 million in 2021 to £795 million in 2023, while pharmaceutical R&D investment in the UK lagged behind global growth trends, costing an estimated £1.3 billion in lost investment in 2023 alone.
Richard Torbett, ABPI Chief Executive, noted “The UK can lead globally in medicines and vaccines, unlocking billions in R&D investment and improving patient access but only if barriers are removed and innovation rewarded.”
The UK invests just 9% of healthcare spending in medicines, compared with 17% in Spain, and only 37% of new medicines are made fully available for their licensed indications, compared to 90% in Germany.
Expert reviews
Shailesh Solanki, executive editor of Pharmacy Business, pointed that “The government’s own review shows the sector is underfunded by about £2 billion per year. To make transformation a reality, this gap must be closed with clear plans for investment in people, premises and technology.”
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) cost-effectiveness threshold £20,000 to £30,000 per Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY) — has remained unchanged for over two decades, delaying or deterring new medicine launches. Raising it is viewed as vital to attracting foreign investment, expanding patient access, and maintaining the UK’s global standing in life sciences.
Guy Oliver, General Manager for Bristol Myers Squibb UK and Ireland, noted that " the current VPAG rate is leaving UK patients behind other countries, forcing cuts to NHS partnerships, clinical trials, and workforce despite government growth ambitions".
Reeves’ push for reform, supported by the ABPI’s Competitiveness Framework, underlines Britain’s intent to stay a leading hub for pharmaceutical innovation while ensuring NHS patients will gain faster access to new treatments.
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