India’s wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha can’t wait to take the field against Bangladesh in the second test of the series from November 22 to 26, one of only two Indian players to have played with the pink ball under lights at the Eden Gardens. It will be the first time that Virat Kohli and his boys will be playing under lights in a day-night Test and Saha is ready to share his experience with teammates.
Speaking to IANS, Saha said he relishes challenges and this definitely will be one tough test as the Indian boys play their first pink-ball Test. He was quoted by India TV as saying, “This will be a new challenge in front of us. We have not played Tests with the pink ball. I have been part of a domestic pink ball multi-day game. Challenge is there in every sport. The more you are challenged as a team, you get better and I am sure we will do that,”
The cricket boards of India and Bangladesh agreed to play the second Test of the series as a day-night affair.
Former Indian Captain Sourav Ganguly, who played an instrumental role in this match being organized, believes that such innovations could see the crowds return to the Test arena after the organizers of the recent Test series against South Africa voiced concerns about thin turn-outs.
A number of teams have played day-night Tests earlier, beginning with one between Australia and New Zealand in 2015.
When Saha was asked whether he would be able to guide his teammates on the nuances of a day-night Test, Saha said: “To be honest, I really don’t remember all of it. Shami bowled really fast and we (Mohun Bagan) won. One thing I remember is sometimes it was becoming difficult to pick the ball.”
