Published 13:00 IST, November 19th 2019
Ind vs Ban: Your guide to the upcoming first-ever Day-Night Test in India
Ind vs Ban: As Kolkata gears up for India's first Day-Night Test, here is a look at everything that you need to know about the history of Day-Night Tests.
India will take on Bangladesh in their maiden Day-Night Test starting on Friday, November 22 at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, The list of dignitaries for this historic Test consists of stalwarts from several fields. The Prime Ministers of both countries, Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina are expected to be in attendance as well.
BCCI had turned down the offer of playing Day-Night Tests in the past but the appointment of new BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has paved the way for India's first pink-ball Test.
So how are Day-Night Tests different from traditional Tests?
For starters, a certain part of the day's proceedings will be played under lights. The game will start at 1:00 PM, unlike traditional Tests that start at 9.30 AM. Besides, pink balls will be used in place of the usual red cherries for better visibility under lights.
Ahead of the historic Test, Indian and Bangladeshi teams are training in Indore to get acquainted with the pink ball. India got an extra couple of days to train with the pink ball as they defeated Bangladesh in the first Test inside three days.
Eight of the 12 Test-playing nations have already played under lights. India are the only major Test-playing nation to have not played a Day-Night Test while for Bangladesh also this will be their maiden Day-Night Test.
What is the reason behind introducing pink ball cricket?
With the emergence of T20s, Test cricket has been struggling to get its share of viewership. So, the whole idea behind this day-night match is to get the spectators interested in Tests once again. People can come to watch the Tests after their work as the timings become convenient. India's last series against South Africa witnessed poor ticket sales but the ticket demands for the pink ball Test have been quite high.
When was the first Day-night Test Played?
Australia and New Zealand were the teams between which the first Day-Night Test was played in 2015 at Adelaide. Australia went on to win that match by 3 wickets.
Till date, 11 Day-Night matches have been played and all the games resulted in a winner. Australia is the most successful side so far in pink-ball cricket as they won five out of their five Tests. The second on the list is Sri Lanka who have won two out of three. South Africa, England and New Zealand have won one each.
Timings and breaks for the historic Test at Eden Gardens
Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) secretary Avishek Dalmiya informed pn Monday that the play will start each day at 1.00 PM (IST) and lunch will be called at 3:00 PM (IST). The play will resume at 3.40 PM (IST). After a 40-minute lunch break, the floodlights would be on. Tea will be called at 5:40 PM (IST). The final session will start at 6:00 PM (IST) and will go on until 8.00 PM (IST).
Updated 13:03 IST, November 19th 2019