KOLKATA: Finally, the 'pink day' is upon us. The most talked-about event over the last few weeks in the world of cricket is set to engulf us in pink wraps and a twilight envelope.
‘Daunting, intimidating, exciting’ were words India skipper Virat Kohli used to describe the emotions that could be experienced on Friday, the opening day of the first-ever day-night Test in India. He expects the energy level to be very high in the first hour, and that will make it all the more exciting. The galaxy of stars who will be witness to history are sure to take the event beyond cricket.
For once, the opponents have been reduced to a footnote in the build-up. Bangladesh will be equally excited, perhaps nervous too. After all, their Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be at the stadium, watching them try to salvage some pride after the three-day Indore thrashing. With India starting as overwhelming favourites, the beleaguered Tigers would have done well if they can stretch the match into the fifth day.
There are several factors that should work in India’s favour. Firstly, the menacing pace battery of Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma, who ran through Bangladesh on a decent track in Indore. The trio would have rubbed their hands in glee when they saw grass on the pitch.
Another factor which should stand them in good stead is the fact that they have some experience in playing competitive pink-ball cricket. With three seasons of Duleep Trophy having been played under lights, the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal will be striding into the Eden turf with great confidence. So would Shami, having made the pink ball wobble in the only day-night four-day match played at this iconic venue.
The third would be momentum. Clearly, India are on a roll and would be more aggressive. Bangladesh will most probably go into the game with a defensive mindset, keen on lasting for five days.
For India, the bigger challenge would be conquering the conditions. Practice sessions have thrown up some surprises, which they have to deal with. Kohli spoke about two areas of concern that need to be addressed. “The idea of off stump… that’s going to be crucial. Yesterday during practice, we felt the ball could be closer to you, but actually it wasn’t. So I think we have to be careful about that channel,” he said on Thursday.
The other concern surfaced during fielding drills. “We were quite surprised at how the ball hit your hand so hard in the slips. It felt like a heavy hockey ball. It was like the synthetic ball we played with when we were young. It was definitely harder and felt a little heavy. Even the throws took a lot more effort (than red ball) to reach the wicketkeeper,” he said.
Although many of the Indian players have been practising with pink ball, it continues to throw up challenges that can be addressed only during matches. The dip perception, for instance, has been deceptive. “During the day, high catches will be very difficult. We had to watch the ball straight into our palms more often than not,” the skipper said.
On Thursday, India preferred to practise in the morning while Bangladesh had a feel of the twilight conditions.
‘Daunting, intimidating, exciting’ were words India skipper Virat Kohli used to describe the emotions that could be experienced on Friday, the opening day of the first-ever day-night Test in India. He expects the energy level to be very high in the first hour, and that will make it all the more exciting. The galaxy of stars who will be witness to history are sure to take the event beyond cricket.
For once, the opponents have been reduced to a footnote in the build-up. Bangladesh will be equally excited, perhaps nervous too. After all, their Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be at the stadium, watching them try to salvage some pride after the three-day Indore thrashing. With India starting as overwhelming favourites, the beleaguered Tigers would have done well if they can stretch the match into the fifth day.
Did you know? #PinkBallTest #INDvBAN https://t.co/qbXi3akJjd
— BCCI (@BCCI) 1574361000000 There are several factors that should work in India’s favour. Firstly, the menacing pace battery of Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma, who ran through Bangladesh on a decent track in Indore. The trio would have rubbed their hands in glee when they saw grass on the pitch.
It is a historic moment in Indian cricket and we are looking forward to playing in front of a packed house - Captai… https://t.co/lTQ18CtdUz
— BCCI (@BCCI) 1574343000000 Another factor which should stand them in good stead is the fact that they have some experience in playing competitive pink-ball cricket. With three seasons of Duleep Trophy having been played under lights, the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal will be striding into the Eden turf with great confidence. So would Shami, having made the pink ball wobble in the only day-night four-day match played at this iconic venue.
The third would be momentum. Clearly, India are on a roll and would be more aggressive. Bangladesh will most probably go into the game with a defensive mindset, keen on lasting for five days.
Getting into #PinkBallTest mode 💥💥#TeamIndia #INDvBAN @Paytm https://t.co/VmQ5sa6ZOp
— BCCI (@BCCI) 1574329012000 For India, the bigger challenge would be conquering the conditions. Practice sessions have thrown up some surprises, which they have to deal with. Kohli spoke about two areas of concern that need to be addressed. “The idea of off stump… that’s going to be crucial. Yesterday during practice, we felt the ball could be closer to you, but actually it wasn’t. So I think we have to be careful about that channel,” he said on Thursday.
The other concern surfaced during fielding drills. “We were quite surprised at how the ball hit your hand so hard in the slips. It felt like a heavy hockey ball. It was like the synthetic ball we played with when we were young. It was definitely harder and felt a little heavy. Even the throws took a lot more effort (than red ball) to reach the wicketkeeper,” he said.
Although many of the Indian players have been practising with pink ball, it continues to throw up challenges that can be addressed only during matches. The dip perception, for instance, has been deceptive. “During the day, high catches will be very difficult. We had to watch the ball straight into our palms more often than not,” the skipper said.
On Thursday, India preferred to practise in the morning while Bangladesh had a feel of the twilight conditions.
Source : timesofindia[dot]indiatimes[dot]com
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