Wriddhiman Saha on playing the first pink ball match in India

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  • India's Test wicket-keeper Saha will be part of a historic contest

    At a historic venue, a historic game awaits as the Eden Gardens in Kolkata gets ready to host India’s first ever day-night cricket match to be played with a pink ball, on Saturday.

    Earlier this month, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) headed by former India captain, Sourav Ganguly announced that it would host the finals of its premier grade cricket competition, the CAB Super League under lights in a bid to test the Eden’s preparedness to host a potential day-night Test in the future.

    India’s Test wicket-keeper, Wriddhiman Saha finds himself in the thick of things as he will be one of the two big names, apart from fast-bowler Mohammed Shami to be playing the game. The three-day long final will see Kolkata’s Bhowanipore Club go up against the Mohun Bagan Cricket Club.

    Saha, who will be turning out for Mohun Bagan, played down the hype surrounding this contest and said that this game is just like any other.

    “Nothing very different from how I would approach any other encounter,” he said in an exclusive chat with Sport360.com.

    “As a cricketer, it is very important to not think too much about the game before playing. What I can say is that I am just looking forward to playing this form of cricket where we will be playing in white clothing under lights,” he added.

    Saha however, was quick to credit Sourav Ganguly for leading this initiative.

    “Something like this has never happened before, this is India’s first tryst with pink ball cricket and I believe that Dadi (Ganguly) should be credited for it. I am sure Eden Gardens getting day-night games in the future will become simpler with Dadi around.”

    In fact, there are unconfirmed reports in the Indian media that India’s first ever day-night Test would be played at the Eden Gardens as well, when New Zealand visit in September.

    When asked whether it would be special to turn up as India’s wicket-keeper at his home ground playing the country’s first day-night Test, Saha preferred not to get ahead of himself.

    “Like I have said before, I am not someone who looks too far ahead into the future. If the game is played at the Eden Gardens, it will indeed be a big occasion but whether I will play or not – I am not thinking much about it right now.”

    While the concept of day-night games has received a mixed response from the cricketing fraternity, many players have cited their concerns regarding the feasibility of playing the sport with a pink ball. Saha, who has had the experience of playing with fluorescent, pink and orange balls during one of his Emerging Players tours in Australia said that a lot would depend on the kind of wicket that is being rolled out for such encounters.

    “This time we will be using Kookaburra balls and the composition of that is likely to be different from the Duke balls we used during the Emerging Players tournament,” said the wicket-keeper batsman.

    “A lot is going to depend on what kind of wicket is rolled out as that will decide the wear and tear on the ball. Some people have said there are visibility concerns, but a call on that can be taken later,” he added.

    The CAB is closely working with Kookaburra’s subcontinent head in preparing the right conditions for Saturday’s encounter. The cricket association has been instructed by the ball manufacturers to ensure that the playing wicket and its surrounding areas have a decent amount of grass covering.

    Grass covering on pitches usually reduces a spinner’s potency by cutting down on turn and bounce. With the advent of this format, many opine that spinners are soon going to be sidelined even further, but Saha felt that it was wrong to tag such a consequence as something negative.

    “Nothing is a negative if any particular move is helping your team win in a certain format. If this format has to stay and the game demands that spinners will have a reduced role, and it is best for the team to play with quicks – so be it.”

    The game will begin at 2.30 PM local time and will be covered by Indian broadcaster Star Sports. Sourav Ganguly had stated earlier that the broadcasters aren’t being charged for the telecast rights and entry to the stadium has been made free on all three days.

    A full-fledged commentary team comprising of the likes of VVS Laxman, Aakash Chopra and Harsha Bhogle will be covering this historic encounter.

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