Cricket fans buckle up as India and Bangladesh are all set to play their first-ever day-night Test in Kolkata. Ever since the news broke out, followers of the gentlemen’s game went berserk and can’t wait to witness the historic clash. BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said that Indian skipper Virat Kohli took mere three seconds in agreeing to play day-night Test. This certainly displays that players are fascinated to play the longest format of the game under lights. Even many cricket experts and pundits also regard this new version of the game as the future of Test cricket. However, there are also players were not amused by this variation of Test cricket. Bangladesh vs India Day Night Test 2019: After 11 Matches Across 6 Countries, Sourav Ganguly Finally Turns India to Pink.

The first experiment of the pink ball at the international level was done in the 3rd Test of New Zealand’s 2015 Tour of Australia. In that clash, the pink-ball was doing some talking as it was a low-scoring clash. However, big scores were also registered in some succeeding clashes while playing with the pink ball which makes the contest even. Till now, 12 day-night Test matches have been played and have received mixed responses from the audience as well as the players. So, as the endeavor is becoming a hot topic among the fans, let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of this new version of the game. Tickets For India vs Bangladesh Day-Night Kolkata Test 2019: Check Price, Match Timing Details.

Advantages :

Less Deterioration of The Ball

The pink ball tends to have more life than the red one as it won’t deteriorate at rapidly and will sustain more. Bowlers were seen often complaining about the condition of the old ball as it loses shape and doesn’t provide any help to the bowlers. On the other hand, batsmen don’t like the change of ball mid-way in the innings as the change to deliveries have turned the tables in the bowler’s favour. However, with the pink ball, this problem might get solved.

Bad Light Out of The Way

On many occasions, the day has been called off early due to bad lights and the scheduled 90 overs are not completed. The batsmen don’t enjoy to play as the day gets darker while the bowling side wants to bowl as many overs they can. However, with the game being played under lights the problem of bad light gets completely out of the way.

Players and Won’t Get Drained out Rapidly

While playing under the bright sun, a body tends to lose more water and as a result, players get tired fast. However, under light players won’t drain out at that rapid pace and can give their 100% throughout the day. This solution will give a lot of relief to the fast bowlers who are required to run-in fast in order to generate express pace.

Audience Attraction

Empty stands are been witnessed in the Test cricket nowadays which means fans are losing their interest from the traditional format of cricket. However, the excitement to see cricketers playing under light and the behaviour of the pink-ball will certainly attract a lot of fans and it can well revive the Test cricket as well. In the upcoming clash, Sourav Ganguly is expecting a full-house in Eden Gardens and it well can happen.

Now look at the other side of the coin and put some emphasis on some disadvantages of the Day-Night Test.

Anything For the Spinners?

The attributes of the pink ball don’t seem to be favouring the spinners as the ball doesn’t tend to get old fast. Hence, the slow bowlers might not be able to get the perfect grip over the ball and they also might not get the same purchase as the old red-ball. In the upcoming clash, two of the best spinners in the world Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will play and let’s see what they can gain from the pink cherry.

Dew Factor

The biggest problem which is being anticipated while playing under lights is dew. In the evening, the field tends to get moist which will make the ball wet. So, bowlers can face problems while gripping the delivery and the chances of the ball getting swing or spin will get lesser. On many occasions, dew has decided the fate of the game in the limited-overs cricket and it should not happen in the longest format as well.

 Visibility of the Ball

The sole reason for switching to pink ball from red one in day-night Tests was the visibility of the delivery. Pink ball is expected to come well under the lights. However, it will be interesting, how clear the ball will be in the dusk. Many fielders are seen dropping some sitters with the pink ball and let’s see how the Indian and Bangladeshi players will face the challenge.

So, there are many different aspects of this new version of the game and many more will be explored as the day-night Test matches will be played more often. The upcoming match will be the first instance of India and Bangladesh playing with the Pink ball and both sides will aim to welcome this new version of the game with a victory.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 18, 2019 05:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).