cricket

Updated: Nov 12, 2019 10:43 IST

India are scheduled to play their historic Day-Night Test in Kolkata but the hosts are leaving no stones unturned in Indore to prepare themselves for pink ball test. The first Test against Bangladesh is scheduled to be played Holkar Stadium before their date with flood lights at the iconic Eden Gardens. However, it has now been revealed that India cricket team will practice under lights in Indore itself to prepare themselves for their newest test.

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“The Indian Team will be practising with the pink ball under lights from 5 pm to 6 pm today (Tuesday) against a black sight-screen,” MPCA head curator Samandar Singh Chouhan told Hindustan Times. “We have got this request and have made the preparations accordingly.”

It was earlier revealed that SG had delivered the first batch of pink balls to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) last weekend. The Test match will not only be the first Day/Night affair for both the sides but it will also mark the first official appearance of SG pink balls.

In the 11 Day/Night Tests played so far, only the Kookaburra and Dukes pink balls have been used. The pink balls used in India between 2016-18 seasons of Duleep Trophy were also manufactured by Kookaburra.

One of the main reasons for shifting to SG pink balls for the Bangladesh Day/Night Test was to avoid using two different balls for the same series. “No, it can’t be because the series has to be played with same ball. It can’t be two different balls in the same series,” said BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.

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The idea behind an early delivery of the balls was to allow both India and Bangladesh cricketers enough time to prepare for their first Day/Night Test. A gap of only 3 days between the first Test at Indore and the Day/Night Test in Kolkata has prompted the teams to keep special practice sessions with the pink ball before the first Test.