Australia's record in pink-ball Tests: Where does Pat Cummins' men stand after win over India in Adelaide?

Australia once again showed why they are the king in pink-ball Tests after Pat Cummins' men defeated India by 10 wickets inside seven sessions at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday. Coming on the back of a huge loss in Perth in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) opener, Australia dominated the opposition with Mitchell Starc and Cummins starring with five-wicket hauls in first and second innings respectively. Not to forget Travis Head, who scored a brilliant 140.

The win not only helped Australia square the five-match series 1-1, but also spice up the race for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Following the win, Australia reclaimed the top spot while, India dropped to third with South Africa squeezing in at second.

The day-night Tests came into existence in 2015 with an aim to make the longest format of the game exciting and give the fans some sort of entertainment after long office hours. However, it is yet to cement its place in every Test series around the world on a regular basis.

Australia in pink-ball Tests

Interestingly, Australia have never played a day-night Test away from home and are by far the most successful team as far as the pink-ball Tests are concerned. Since 2015, Australia have played 13 Tests in pink-ball and emerged victorious 12 times. Their only loss came against West Indies at the start of 2024.

That's not all. The Australians also hold the records for most runs and wickets in the day-night Tests. Marnus Labuschagne (958), Steve Smith (762), David Warner (753), Travis Head (683) and Usman Khawaja (538) take the top five spots among batters while Mitchell Starc (74), Nathan Lyon (43), Pat Cummins (41) and Josh Hazlewood (37) occupy the first four spots among bowlers with most wickets.

When was the first pink-ball Test played?

Interestingly, Australia and New Zealand played the inaugural day-night Test in Adelaide in 2015. Batting first, New Zealand scored 202. Australia replied back with 224 in the first innings. The Kiwis managed just 208 in the second innings, giving Australia a target of 187. The hosts romped home with three wickets to spare. Hazlewood was the star with a match haul of nine wickets including 6/70 in the second innings.