All eyes on Shami as India in throes of making yet another cricketing history with pink ball D/N Test against Bangladesh : Sports News

Kolkata: All eyes are on speedster Mohammed Shami as India are in throes of making yet another cricketing history when Virat Kholi''s brigade will host visiting Bangladesh for the first time to play day-night 5-day Test match with pink ball in the mid of over half-a lakh spectators at the iconic Eden Gardens from tomorrow. The inaugural day is very special for India''s supreme cricket body as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has agreed to an invitation from BCCI chief to be present in the city and is expected to ring the bell for starting the epoch making play at 1 pm.

India already is 1 up in the 2-Test series as the host beat Bangladesh inside three days for a resounding innings and 130 run-victory in the first Test at Indore, thanks to lethal fast bowling from Shami ( 7), Umesh Yadav ( 5) and Ishant Sharma (3). Right armed spinner Ravichandran Ashwin did the rest taking remaining 5 wickets in the two innings. Bangladesh will remember the match for very long time to come with pace hostility at Indore where there first innings bundled in 150 and 213 on the second part. India were at top in the 1st innings with 493 for 6 declared in 114 overs with 242 from Mayank Agarwal, Ajinkya Rahane 86, Cheteshwar Pujara 54. .

But that play was held with conventional red ball and all knew the movement of the red ball. India and Bangladesh will be playing their first-ever day-night Test with a pink SG ball, considered to be an unpredictable for any batsman, specially in the flood lights when day light ended. However, many of the players may have played in domestic games with Kookaburra pink balls, but the SG pink ball is said to a bit different. Meanwhile, the visiting side ahead of the pink ball test received a jolt when Saif Hassan, the reserve opening batsman has been ruled out. The 21-year-old was in line to make his debut in the historic pink-ball Test at the Eden Gardens, Hassan split his finger webbing while on 12th man fielding duty during the 1st Test in Indore. Saif has been ruled out of the second Test," Bangladesh Cricket Board said. Bangladesh are in desperate need of a change at the top. The incumbent opening batsmen, Shadman Islam and Imrul Kayes, managed all of 24 runs across two innings in Indore.

But Hassan''s injury means that the visitors will have to persist with the same opening combination in Kolkata too. Bangladesh bowling coach Daniel Vettori also acknowledged that playing in flood lights with pink ball to pose a great challenge for the batsmen. " The challenge will be very much under lights. The sun sets quite early here. That will be the time we will see the pink ball come into play. My experiences are only from watching on TV. So the twilight hours, dusk seems to do a little bit more. So I think that''s going to be the exciting period of the Test match." The former new Zealand skipper said the SG pink ball is slightly different. " Most guys'' limited experience has been around the kookaburra one. But I think there is excitement around it. Big crowd and lot of interest.

So for us as a team, real joy to be here." India''s wicket-keeper-batsman Wriddhiman Sahan also admitting the challenge ahead of them but the Indian camp is well equipped to handle the change scenario at Eden Gardens. He said Indian camp is very optimistic and positive because they are representing the country for a historical match and coming to top was the main agenda. " Yes we all are very exited and lots of talks and discussion having in the dressing rooms with pink ball preparations for the first time day-night test against Bangladesh," the home grown cricketer said.