India vs Bangladesh 2019: 3 important things to keep in mind ahead of the pink ball Test
Four years after Australia and New Zealand played the first pink-ball test at Adelaide, India will finally play one on Friday. The mecca of Indian cricket, Eden Gardens will host this historic encounter. With a lot of debate around the longer format and the lack of crowds, Day/Night Test cricket is a significant step to attract people back into the stadiums. Administrators hope that the timings will allow people to come into the grounds after college and work.
The superpower of world cricket finally gracing cricket's new innovation is a major boost. Quite simply the world's attention will be in Kolkata as Virat Kohli's side take on Bangladesh in the second Test of the series. In the heat of the inaugural World Test Championship, this is a landmark moment for the game.
Day/Night Test cricket is a lot more than just the match being played at a different time. The color of the ball changes and even the conditions are not the same. The game's administrators are closely looking at the game to create the perfect environment to play the longer format under the lights. With the star-studded Indian team playing it for the first time, there is bound to be key interest. It will be fair to say that the events of the next five days will have a huge bearing on the future of the sport.
While it being a historic occasion guarantees a packed stadium, it will only be fair to judge the attendance in later matches. However, there is a lot to look forward to and here are some important factors to keep an eye on.
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#3 How the players adapt
Not only is this India's first Day/Night Test match but also the first time Bangladesh is playing one. As a result, this match will be the first taste of Test cricket under the lights for each of the 22 players in action. Apart from Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha, Mohammed Shami, and Kuldeep Yadav, none of the other players have even played a first-class game with the pink ball.
Hence, how the players adapt is something that will have a lot of focus. It is a well-documented fact that the pink ball swings more than the red ball and there is more purchase for bowlers once the sun begins to set. Therefore, it will be interesting to see whether the batsman is up for the challenge and can adapt to the tougher conditions.
This does not mean things will be easy for bowlers. Pacers will have to find the right seam position and figure the correct line and length. So far, it is proven that wrist spinners perform better with the pink-ball as shown by Kuldeep Yadav's impressive performance in the Duleep Trohpy a few years back. Finger spinners like Ashwin and Jadeja will face a challenging task trying to perform to their capabilities. Ultimately, its quite literally a different ball game and each player will face a test of quality and character on this historic occasion.