India vs Bangladesh: Would like a practice match next time before a pink ball Test – Mominul Haque  

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Bangladesh could only manage their first proper practice session under lights with the pink ball on the eve of their first-ever Day/Night Test against India at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, starting on Friday. Before Thursday, all they had was scattered sessions with the pink ball in Indore. This prompted Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque to open up about the need for a proper practice match before playing Day/Night Tests in future.

“We didn’t get any practise match before this, We can’t ponder on that. We have to focus on what we have. Going forward, we would like to have a practice match before a pink ball Test,” said Mominul Haque before on Thursday.

Both India and Bangladesh have not played a Test match under lights before but the visitors appear weaker as there has been only one first-class game under lights in Bangladesh – A Bangladesh Cricket League match between Central Zone and North Zone in 2013 – But none of the cricketers in the current Bangladesh Test squad was a part of that game. The second Test against India will be the first tryst with the pink ball for all the Bangladesh cricketers. India, on the other hand, have the likes of Mohammed Shami, Wriddhiman Saha, Cheteshwar Pujara, Kuldeep Yadav, Hanuma Vihari, who have played under lights before – albeit against the Kookaburra pink ball.

The second Test match at Eden Gardens was supposed to be a normal red ball affair but it was turned into a Day/Night match after newly-elected BCCI president Sourav Ganguly convinced the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

Bangladesh are already 0-1 down in the series and chances are their fate might go the same away as Indore’s even in the second Test in Kolkata. But Mominul is confident of not repeating the mistakes of the previous Test.

“The top order should learn from their mistakes. We had small partnerships in Indore, we need to convert the fifty partnerships into 150s. The shot selection has to be good. But I think it’s more about mental application and focus. India have good fast bowlers, have to be patient against them,” added the left-hander.

Reacting on the challenges of the pink ball, Mominul said, it might be a bit difficult to bat and field under lights.

“The biggest challenge will be to play under light. The shine on the ball can make it difficult for the batsmen under lights and even for the fielders. But skill-wise this shouldn’t make any difference. It’s just that we have to concentrate a bit more. I haven’t played a pink ball match before, so whatever I’m saying can change in a match scenario. There are lot of differences in practice and real match situation,” said Mominul.