Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee To Ring Eden Bell To Start Pink Ball Test

The historic Pink Ball Test between India and Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens will have plenty of attention. Celebrities across all ends of the spectrum will be in attendance for the first Day-Night Test in India. In cricket, only two venues have the custom of ringing the bell and starting the Test match. One is Lord's, considered to be the home of cricket and the other is Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Ahead of the Pink Ball Test, the Eden bell will be rung together by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Both will be seen at the bell ringing ceremony to start off the first day's proceedings, Cricket Association of Bengal secretary Avishek Dalmiya told reporters here at Eden Gardens.  

Bangladesh Premier Hasina will be among a starry gathering which will also include West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankar. The CAB will also felicitate a galaxy of Indian sports stars including cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra, tennis star Sania Mirza, world badminton champion PV Sindhu and six-time boxing world champion MC Mary Kom among others. Specially designed mementos will be given to the dignitaries while they will also make round of the stadium aboard golf carts, Avishek said. The CAB will also felicitate the team members of Bangladesh-India first ever Test in 2000, a game where Sourav Ganguly, the BCCI president, made his debut as Test captain.

The Day-Night Test, played with a Pink Ball, came into realisation during the 2015 Test between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide. The success of the Test, with regards to attendances at the stadium and the television ratings, charted a new course for Test matches.
After being elected as the BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly had said that during his tenure, he will be pushing for the day and night Test. Ganguly said that the current Indian team under Virat Kohli was capable of doing well in the pink-ball Test format.

Also Read | India Will Play First-Ever Day-Night Test Against Bangladesh At Eden Gardens

"I must say that Virat Kohli is agreeable to it. There are reports that he does not want to play day-night Tests which is not the fact. So once the captain of India is agreeable to it, life becomes a lot easier. We will see how we can push it. The game needs to go forward. We all are thinking about this and we will do something about it. I am a firm believer in Day Night Tests. I don't know when that will happen. But till the time I am around, I will be pushing for it," Ganguly said.

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