cricket

Updated: Jul 26, 2020 22:58 IST

India and Bangladesh will lock horns for the first-ever pink-ball Test in India at the Eden Gardens on Friday. The toss is scheduled at 12.30 pm IST, and play will start at 1:00 pm IST. The lunch break lasting 40 minutes will be between 3 pm and 3.40 pm, and the tea break, spanning 20 minutes, is from 5.40 pm to 6 pm.

However, as former Indian captain Rahul Dravid pointed out, dew will play a major role in the game and how this factor is controlled could well determine the future of day/night Test in India. “It is not the only solution to rejuvenate Test cricket, but it is one of the things we need to do. If only we are able to control dew, the pink ball Test can become an annual feature in India,” Dravid told the Economic Times.

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Sujan Mukherjee, the head groundsman at Eden Gardens, however, says, dew has been manageable and that he will start using the anti-dew spray few days before the Test match. It should be mentioned here that since the sun will set at around 4:30 pm IST, dew will play a significant role in the scheme of things and this is where it will get very tricky for the bowlers.

If we take a look at the ball, the seam is more pronounced as compared to the red ball. Also, it is stitched with a black thread as opposed to the white on a red ball. Owing to the dew factor, the seam is kept bold and more visible. Also, the grass in the outfield can be trimmed to a minimum level and it has to be kept dry.

As far as the pitch is concerned, it is expected that the surface will have a covering of grass so that the ball retains its shape and shine for a longer period of time. Hence, it will also assist the seam bowlers a lot, especially under the lights.

Also, there is additional lacquer on the surface which will assist the ball to retain its shine for a longer duration and will also assist seam and swing. There will be a library of balls made available to the umpires and if the ball goes out of shape, adequate replacements will be present.

Also, if the batsmen complain of not being able to see the ball properly during the twilight period, the umpires will have to switch on the lights earlier than expected.

It is all something extremely new and all the factors will be put to test when the match gets underway on Friday.

Watch: From factory to field: Journey of the pink ball