Bangladesh Opt To Bat In India's First Day-night Test

Bangladesh skipper Mominul Haque won the toss and elected to bat in front of a sell-out Kolkata crowd for the first day-night Test in India on Friday

Kolkata, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Nov, 2019 ) :Bangladesh skipper Mominul Haque won the toss and elected to bat in front of a sell-out Kolkata crowd for the first day-night Test in India on Friday.

Both teams are playing their first pink-ball Test, four years after the innovation made its debut in Adelaide in 2015 to draw bigger crowds and tv audiences.

Tickets are sold out for the first four days at Eden Gardens, in contrast to the sparse crowds that often watch day-time Tests in India.

Monuments around Kolkata were lit up in pink for the occasion while a giant pink ball hovered over the 67,000-capacity stadium in the eastern Indian metropolis.

The tourists have made two changes as they bid to bounce back from their drubbing in the opening Test of the two-match series.

Al-Amin Hossain and Nayeem Hasan come into the side in place of Taijul islam and Mehidy Hasan.

"The wicket is dry and hard, so that's why we want to bat first," Mominul said at the toss. "It's a brave decision we feel. It's a great opportunity for everyone." Virat Kohli's India have made no changes to the XI that won the Indore Test inside three days.

Kohli, who has called for the pink-ball experiment to be a "one-off", warned adaptability would be key with the pink ball, which behaves differently to the red balls used for day-time Tests.

"We would have batted first as well. Decent grass cover on it, but it's a hard pitch," Kohli said at the toss.

"With the pink ball there will be something for the first 15 overs. This is another opportunity for us to come and execute our skills.

"The challenge is to adapt quickly to the ball. It travels fast and it's difficult to control. We are fulfilling a responsibility of debuting with the pink ball." Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina shook hands with both teams. India's new cricket chief Sourav Ganguly has invited a host of stars, including batting icon Sachin Tendulkar, for the occasion.

Teams India: Virat Kohli (capt), Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Shama, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami Bangladesh: Mominul Haque (capt), Shadman Islam, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Liton Das, Nayeem Hasan, Abu Jayed, Al-Amin Hossain, Ebadat Hossain Umpires: Marais Erasmus (RSA), Rod Tucker (AUS)TV Umpire: Joel Wilson (WIS)Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)