Australia vs India 2018-19: The reason why the SCG Test is called 'Pink Test'

The ongoing four-match Test series between India and Australia is set to enter the climax as both the teams will have everything to play for in the final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. A win or a draw will ensure that India will create history by beating Australia for the first time at their own backyard and the hosts won't leave it easy for India as they will look to win the game and level the series.

It is very evident that the Sydney Test has a lot of significance, thanks to the way both the teams have been playing. Over the last few years, the New Year Test at the SCG has been having a lot of significance and many call it "The Pink Test".

The first time the SCG hosted the Pink Test was way back in 2009 when Australia played South Africa. So far, the tradition has continued for 10 years with the Australia-India game set to be the 11th.

Why is it called the Pink Test?

Glenn McGrath of Australia with wife Jane on the beach

Every January, the Sydney Cricket Ground will turn into a sea of Pink as the annual New Year Test is supporting a noble cause in honour of former Australian pacer and New South Wales' own Glenn McGrath's late wife Jane McGrath and the money raised during the Test will go to Glenn McGrath Foundation.

The McGrath Foundation is a breast cancer support and education charity in Australia, which raises money to place McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities across the country and increases the awareness about the disease. As of now, it has been reported that around 120 Breast Care Nurses have been started across Australia and have supported over 67000 families who have experienced the disease.

The Glenn McGrath Foundation was started by the former Australian pacer and his wife Jane in 2005 following her recovery from breast cancer. Three years later, Jane passed away and the Pink Test became a reality from the following year.

The day 3 of the Sydney Test is called "Jane McGrath Day" and the money raised will directly go to the Glenn McGrath Foundation. The fans at the SCG will wear pink to show their support. In some cases, the players themselves will be showing their support to the cause by having a pink grip and pink stickers on their bats.

The stumps uprooted for the game will also be pink in colour. Adding to this, the Ladies Stand at the historic SCG is also temporarily renamed The Jane McGrath Stand for the day. Prior to the start of day three, the players from both the sides will present McGrath their Pink Test cap.