Agency :
Nineteen years after they made their Test debut against India, Bangladesh will play their maiden five-day contest under lights against the same opposition, at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
India and Bangladesh will become the ninth and 10th nations to play the pink-ball Test, after Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies, South Africa, England, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Eleven Tests have been played under lights so far, and Australia have been the most successful, winning five out of five.
India will go into the Test with heaps of confidence, leading the ICC World Test Championship standings with 300 points. They last lost a Test series at home in 2012; since then, they have won 11 on the trot. They have four batsmen in the top 10 in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Rankings for Batting, with three players – Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane – in the top five. They also have three players in the top ten in the bowling rankings, including Ravindra Jadeja, who ranks second among all-rounders.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh, who suffered a heavy defeat in the opening Test, will now also have to contend with the absence of 12th man Saif Hassan, their reserve opener, who has been ruled out of the second Test due to a finger injury. The visitors will go into the game having lost four Tests in a row, with their last series victory coming against West Indies at home in 2018. With the bat, they will rely heavily on the experience of skipper Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim, while Abu Jayed’s promising returns from the first game make him one to watch out for.
India continued their rampant run in home Tests with an innings-and-130-run win in Indore. After Bangladesh elected to bat, the hosts’ fast bowlers – led by Mohammed Shami’s 3/27 – bundled them out for just 150.
Mayank Agarwal then smashed his third hundred – and second double – in four Tests. His 243, off just 330 balls, contained eight sixes – the joint-highest by an Indian in a Test innings. India declared on 493/6, and were not required to bat again, as Shami and R Ashwin claimed seven wickets between them to dismiss Bangladesh for 213 in their second innings.
What they said:
Virat Kohli, India captain: “Our focus is to take Indian cricket higher and higher. The motivation has been right, the intent has been right and we are going to keep pushing in that direction. The pink-ball Test is going to be exciting. It’s going be a landmark event for Indian cricket and Indian Test cricket.”
Mehidy Hasan, Bangladesh spinner: “I think we all are excited to play the day/night Test with a pink ball for the first time. That’s a matter of huge excitement. We remain normal and take the preparation that we usually take before any match.”
Conditions:
No rain is expected in Kolkata through the Test. Eden Gardens has been conducive to spinners over the years. India opener Rohit Sharma has a spectacular record at the venue – 548 runs across formats, at an average of 78.28.
Nineteen years after they made their Test debut against India, Bangladesh will play their maiden five-day contest under lights against the same opposition, at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
India and Bangladesh will become the ninth and 10th nations to play the pink-ball Test, after Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies, South Africa, England, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Eleven Tests have been played under lights so far, and Australia have been the most successful, winning five out of five.
India will go into the Test with heaps of confidence, leading the ICC World Test Championship standings with 300 points. They last lost a Test series at home in 2012; since then, they have won 11 on the trot. They have four batsmen in the top 10 in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Rankings for Batting, with three players – Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane – in the top five. They also have three players in the top ten in the bowling rankings, including Ravindra Jadeja, who ranks second among all-rounders.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh, who suffered a heavy defeat in the opening Test, will now also have to contend with the absence of 12th man Saif Hassan, their reserve opener, who has been ruled out of the second Test due to a finger injury. The visitors will go into the game having lost four Tests in a row, with their last series victory coming against West Indies at home in 2018. With the bat, they will rely heavily on the experience of skipper Mominul Haque, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim, while Abu Jayed’s promising returns from the first game make him one to watch out for.
India continued their rampant run in home Tests with an innings-and-130-run win in Indore. After Bangladesh elected to bat, the hosts’ fast bowlers – led by Mohammed Shami’s 3/27 – bundled them out for just 150.
Mayank Agarwal then smashed his third hundred – and second double – in four Tests. His 243, off just 330 balls, contained eight sixes – the joint-highest by an Indian in a Test innings. India declared on 493/6, and were not required to bat again, as Shami and R Ashwin claimed seven wickets between them to dismiss Bangladesh for 213 in their second innings.
What they said:
Virat Kohli, India captain: “Our focus is to take Indian cricket higher and higher. The motivation has been right, the intent has been right and we are going to keep pushing in that direction. The pink-ball Test is going to be exciting. It’s going be a landmark event for Indian cricket and Indian Test cricket.”
Mehidy Hasan, Bangladesh spinner: “I think we all are excited to play the day/night Test with a pink ball for the first time. That’s a matter of huge excitement. We remain normal and take the preparation that we usually take before any match.”
Conditions:
No rain is expected in Kolkata through the Test. Eden Gardens has been conducive to spinners over the years. India opener Rohit Sharma has a spectacular record at the venue – 548 runs across formats, at an average of 78.28.
