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Bangladesh agree to play Day-Night Test at Eden Gardens
It will be maiden Day-Night Test for both teams; BCCI chief Ganguly wants pink SG balls ready in 10 days
Kolkata/New Delhi : Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Tuesday agreed to play the second Test against India at Eden Gardens under lights and this will be the first Day-Night Test for both teams.
"Great opportunity and massive game in Eden Gardens against India, who also hasn't played a D/N Test. It is new to both sides and it will probably bring the two teams together," Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo said.
"Both teams not quite knowing what is going to happen, so it is a challenge we want to take. Some of our players were skeptical about it, but we are excited.
We don't know what brand of ball will be used, and we will probably have little time to prepare but we are excited by it."
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is the man behind making this happen as he pushed the BCB to play under floodlights in a bid to pull crowds to the stadiums.
Ganguly met Kohli for the first time since becoming BCCI President at the Cricket Centre in Mumbai last Thursday, and it is believed the former India skipper had a word regarding Day-Night Tests.
The Indian team was earlier not keen on playing Day-Night Tests. India had previously dodged plans to play a pink-ball Test in Adelaide during their tour Down Under last year.
There was also reluctance on India's part when a move to host a Day-Night Test against the West Indies at home was brushed under the carpet.
Ganguly has always backed pink ball Tests, even when he was the head of the BCCI's technical committee in 2016-17. Ganguly had then recommended that domestic tournaments be played under lights.
As there might be a dearth of SG pink balls with the BCCI at present, Sourav Ganguly wants board representatives to immediately speak to the company and get balls ready by the next 10 days so that both the Indian as well as Bangladesh team has enough time to prepare for the Day-Night Test which gets underway at the Eden Gardens from November 22.
Speaking to IANS, sources in the know of developments said that Ganguly wants a team to get cracking and ensure that there are enough SG balls prepared and handed over to the team by 10 days.
"Yes, the President is keen that we play the game with SG pink balls. A team has been tasked with connecting with the ball manufacturers and prepare international quality balls in the next 10 days," the source said. A BCCI functionary said that the real challenge will be to provide umpires with substitute balls.
"Had GM Cricket Operations Saba Karim ensured that we had domestic matches under lights, say knockouts of the Ranji Trophy or for that matter the Irani Cup, we would have had enough balls ready.
But the whole idea was almost put into the boot of the car even though Ganguly did keep harping on it as Technical Committee head. There was no effort made.
"So now, when we have to provide for close to 48 balls -- to the two teams, the match officials etc -- where do we get them from? How about substitute balls if one ball is hit out of the park after 34 overs?
You need a ball of almost same condition. Providing these will be the real challenge because the umpires won't accept new balls.
