CAB will leave no stone unturned to make Day-Night Test successful, attests Avishek Dalmiya
Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) Secretary Avishek Dalmiya has ensured that CAB will put in their best effort to make India's first D/N test a success. The Indian team will play their first-ever D/N test against Bangladesh in the second Test of their series at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Bangladesh Cricket Board has agreed to BCCI's proposal of playing a pink-ball Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Eden Gardens hosting India's first day/night test would not have come as a surprise as it is the home of former Indian captain and current BCCI President Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly always favoured to introduce pink-ball cricket in local matches when he was the Chairman of the CAB and thus once he became the BCCI President, India playing the pink-ball Test was always on the cards. CAB secretary Avishek Dalmiya has assured that the CAB will do all the necessary arrangements to ensure a smooth proceeding of India's first day/night Test.
"In one word, we are delighted. It's also great news for all cricket lovers. Eden has been privy to a lot of history. It would be another feather on its cap," Dalmiya told TOI.
"CAB would leave no stone unturned to ensure that it is a successful event. The presence of dignitaries and distinguished guests, cultural shows and felicitation of former players would add to the grandeur of the event," he further added.
Ganguly had proposed the idea of playing a pink-ball test to the Bangladesh Cricket Board. However, the idea was opposed by many players as they claimed that there was a lack of time to specially prepare for the pink-ball Test. However, the BCB conducted several meetings and convinced the players.
Dalmiya feels that this is no less than a festival and he has ensured that there will be some grand events in the build-up to India's first pink-ball Test. The CAB want the Test to be a memorable occasion as Eden Gardens is set to be a part of History being the first Indian venue to host a pink-ball Test.
"We would not waste any time and would start planning internally to make it a memorable occasion from tomorrow itself and to give it a carnival feel. Other steps would be taken in this regard," Dalmiya asserted.
"We also intend to sit with the BCCI president to work out other modalities and also to ensure we are in sync with the plans of the Indian Cricket Board," he added.
The first-ever pink ball test was played between Australia and New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval. There have been eleven pink-ball Tests played ever since. Both India and Bangladesh had denied playing pink-ball tests in the recent past, with India discarding the proposal of a pink-ball Test in Adelaide when they toured Australia in 2018 and Bangladesh rejecting a similar proposal from New Zealand. But as soon as Ganguly became the BCCI President, the BCCI was keen to host a pink-ball Test. Ganguly was helped in his initiative of revolutionizing Test cricket in India by newly-appointed BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.
"It is a great day for Indian cricket. Sourav, myself and our team had an idea of revolutionizing Test cricket and this is our first step towards it. It was very important to start the process now since India does not play a lot of Test matches after the Bangladesh series.
"We thank the Bangladesh Cricket Board for accepting our request for a Day-Night Test match on such a short notice," he added.
The BCCI and the Bangladesh Cricket Board have had cordial relations since the past. Bangladesh were welcomed by India in 2017 to play their first-ever Test series on Indian soil. BCB President Nazmul Hassan acknowledged the thanking gesture of Jay Shah and commented positively on the relationship between the two boards.
"The BCB and BCCI share a very long history of support, co-operation and friendship. Ours is a bond of strength and it is very heartening and reassuring for the BCB to have someone like Mr Ganguly as BCCI President who has been an integral part of this journey," Hassan revealed.
"On that note, I am pleased that we have had a frank and constructive discussion with the players and the Team Management. I have received a positive response about playing the Day-Night Test in view of the BCB-BCCI relationship," he concluded.
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