The Indian cricket team are slated to play their first ever Pink Ball Test when they take on Bangladesh in the second Test encounter of the series at Eden Gardens in Kolkata from November 22. With the India players having very little experience against the pink ball, the team management decided to hold a practice session with the ball in Indore.
The first batsman to face the challenge was skipper Virat Kohli and it was a mixed experience for the right-hander. While he did miss a couple of deliveries, it did not stop Kohli from producing a couple of trademark cover drives.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane also practised with the pink ball with both batsmen taking a cautious approach. The duo defended most of the deliveries and were looking to play the ball with soft hands. There was not much visible swing and the ball was coming nicely to the bat on the practice pitches.
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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