India vs Bangladesh: Timings of Day-Night Test altered slightly to counter the threat of dew

What’s the story?

The BCCI has accepted the Cricket Association of Bengal’s request to reschedule the session timings for the day-night Test match between India and Bangladesh in order to counter the threat of dew.

In case you didn’t know

The 2nd Test during the India-Bangladesh series is slated to be a day-night affair and it also represents the first time either side is going to be involved in a pink-ball Test. The encounter is scheduled to take place from the 22nd of November at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Also see - England New Zealand schedule

The heart of the matter

The BCCI has agreed to the CAB’s request of altering the timings of play just a touch so that dew doesn’t end up having an enormous role in the game.

A senior BCCI official quipped,

Keeping in mind the dew factor, the BCCI approved CAB’s request to change the playing hours in the second Test. While play will start at 1 p.m., the first session will end at 3 p.m. The second session will start from 3:40 p.m. and continue till 5:40 p.m. The final session will be played from 6 p.m. till 8 p.m.

The curator, meanwhile, was also asked about what kind of surface he planned to prepare. Sujan Mukherjee replied that he wasn’t trying out anything new just because the Test would be played under lights. He also said that he was attempting to prepare a sporting wicket and that he intended to prepare a pitch akin to the good ones the Eden Garden had dished out in the past.

As for the dew, the CAB curator said that the change in timings would help counter it. He also mentioned that there were other safeguards, namely treatment sprays to tackle the issue.

What’s next?

India begin their Test series on the 14th of November at Indore before moving to Kolkata to play the second fixture. The crowd has bought into the idea of a day-night Test instantly and the tickets have sold like hot cakes. Thus, it would be extremely intriguing to witness how this historic clash pans out.