BENGALURU: After a crushing victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Mohali, the Indian players could have easily taken some time off from cricket before their flight to Bengaluru on Wednesday. But a day before their departure from Chandigarh, they hit the ground running for a practice session with the pink ball to gear up for the second Test, a day-night affair at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, starting Saturday.
Such an approach holds logic. They have played three day-night Tests, but are yet to fully decode the pink ball. That all three of them have been played in different conditions – Kolkata, Adelaide and Ahmedabad – has only made it all the more difficult. And going by the indications, Bengaluru is going to be unique too as the pitch looks dry and sans dew in the evenings, which could be challenging for the batting team under the lights.
To say India, who made their pink ball debut in 2019, are still learning about the day-night Test nuances will not be an understatement. Overall, they have just played eight days of international pink ball cricket with all their matches ending inside three days. With most of the current squad players having played with the pink ball, they need to bring in that minimal experience to the Garden City.
“As children growing up, we have not played with the pink ball. You are not used to it,” said India vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah. “It is a mental adjustment as you do not play a lot of pink ball cricket. Whatever little games we have played, we are trying to take feedback from those games and try to replicate that – certain changes when playing Test under lights, what does it do, when you field what are the adjustments that you have to make.”
When it comes to team selection for such matches, it becomes tricky. The ball tends to do a lot more under the lights and the twilight period is always considered a bit challenging. With the inclusion of Axar Patel, they have added more teeth to the attack. With the pitch drawing a dry look by Friday evening, it would come as no surprise if India field three spinners. In the two day-night Tests played in the country, the conditions have been contrasting. In Kolkata, against Bangladesh, Indian pacers took 19 wickets and against England in Ahmedabad, the hosts’ spinners combined for 19 wickets.
Like it has been the case with day-night Tests, it is going to be challenging for the batters. In Ahmedabad, where the Test ended in two days, both teams revealed how the pink ball came quickly off the pitch, giving them less time to react. With the venue hosting its maiden pink ball Test, one does not really know how the surface is going to play, adding a layer of intrigue to the Test.
“Pink ball looks different, sometimes it comes quickly too. The timings are also different. Like in a regular Test match, in the morning session, the ball does more, but here, it might be the opposite, it might swing more at night. These are small pointers, as we have not played much with the pink ball. And those that we have played are in different conditions, so we cannot set a parameter,” said Bumrah.
As for Sri Lanka, Suranga Lakmal will be eager to end his career on a high with the pacer playing his last game. Meanwhile, top order batter Pathum Nissanka and Dushmantha Chameera are unavailable for selection with the former troubled with a back injury and the latter still troubled by ankle pain.