India vs Bangladesh: Need to adjust mentally to play the pink ball, says Ajinkya Rahane as hosts prepare for Day/Night Test

What’s the story?

In his press conference before the 1st Test at Indore, Ajinkya Rahane opened up on the different facets that come into play when facing the pink ball, as opposed to the red ball.

In case you didn’t know

India are set to play their 1st day-night Test against Bangladesh from the 22nd of November at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The encounter would be the final game of a two-match series between the pair.

The heart of the matter

Speaking about the challenge of facing the pink ball, Rahane said:

I didn't play pink ball [before] so this is my first experience. The lateral movement is big, actually a lot more than the red ball. I'm sure we'll get two good practice sessions in Kolkata. Adjustment wise I'm sure everyone will adjust very quickly. It's just the mind-set, technical skills will play a role. Mentally if you can adjust to the pink ball, then it'll be good.

Consequently, the Indian Test vice-captain felt that the batsmen needed to be cautious of the movement on offer and play the ball late, thereby countering whatever swing or seam the bowlers might extract.

Moreover, he also talked about how everyone was slightly in the dark on how the ball would react to certain atmospheric changes, namely the dew factor. However, he was optimistic that the batsmen would get acclimatised to it, considering they would, in all likelihood, enjoy a session under lights before the Test gets underway.

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What’s next?

The day-night encounter between India and Bangladesh has generated quite a buzz and spectators have been swift to snap up tickets for the game. Thus, the entire Indian cricketing fraternity is waiting with bated breath to see how the contest transpires.