Eden Gardens frontrunner to host historic day-night Test

The iconic Eden Gardens has emerged as the frontrunner to host the first ever Day-Night Test match in the country against the visiting New Zealand side even though CAB president Sourav Ganguly said it will depend on their upcoming “pink ball experiment” from June 18.

“Nothing is confirmed yet. Nothing has been confirmed yet. Hosting a day night Test will depend on the success of the Duleep Trophy. We are also organising the country’s first day night four-day CAB Super League final with pink Kookaburra balls from June 18-21 on an experimental basis. We will see how it goes,” Ganguly told PTI, keeping cards close to his chest.

An influential BCCI official, though, told PTI that if the Day/Night Test match is held against New Zealand, it will come to Eden Gardens in all likelihood.

“The decision will be taken during the BCCI working committee meeting on June 24th. We are hopeful that Eden will be allotted the match. Also we will get a feedback from CAB on their D/N experiment,” the source said.

Eden’s chances are bright since the other two Test venues for the New Zealand leg are Indore and Kanpur.

Kanpur’s floodlights have been a problem while Indore, for a match of this magnitude, may not be the best venue.

The CAB has procured a dozen pink kookaburra balls for the super league final next week which will be telecast live.

CAB secretary Avishek Dalmiya said: “We will keep more grass for visibility. Kookabura world and subcontinent head are expected for the match. We don’t want to make a fool of ourselves. It depends on how the BCCI takes it, how successful it is. That’s the way forward. We are trying something for first time. The legacy will be with us. We will give two balls each to the finalists who will practice two days ahead of the final,” Dalmiya said.