- A commanding end to the first day of the day-night Test for India at stumps! Rahane crunches a full toss through the cover boundary on the penultimate ball of the day. Kohli remains not out on 59 as India leads by 68 runs.
- Here are the players, Kohli beat to become the fastest captain to 5,000 Test runs.
- And with a pull shot, Kohli moves to fifty - 23rd in Tests. He brings up the landmark off just 76 balls.
- WICKET! Ebadot strikes and gets rid of Pujara with a delivery which rises of the deck sharply. A surprised Pujara can't get out of the way as the ball kisses his gloves and goes into the hands of the second slip. Ebadot is elated and strikes the salute in celebration. Pujara departs for 55. Ajinkya Rahane is the new batsman.
- 24th Test fifty for Pujara, his fourth fifty-plus score of the season. A round of applause for India's no.3 from the home crowd and the Indian dressing room.
- India has 23 overs left in the day and if these two batsmen can remain till close of play, India will have made big inroads into establishing control over the Test match. Another drinks break.
- Kohli becomes the first to 5,000 Test runs as skipper! May have to keep a scrapbook dedicated to the records this man will go on to break. And India goes into the lead ... Kohli and Pujara are in complete control at the moment.
- Time for drinks as India coasting at the moment at 93/2. Did you know that Ishant's five-wicket haul today was his first on home soil since his first home Test against Pakistan in 2007? Surely, the 31-year-old will cherish this feat as much as he did as a wiry teenager.
- Kohli-Pujara stand moves past the 50-run mark in a little over 9 overs. Both Kohli and Pujara are batting way outside the crease.
- Blimey. Sunil Gavaskar on commentary says he doesn't agree with the new rule of concussion substitutes. "Why is there no substitutes for breaking an arm or leg but a sub for getting hit on the head?," says the former India captain. He claims it's the lack of competence by batsmen if they aren't able to handle short balls. He goes on to add that he doesn't agree with the like-for-like sub rule. Case in point where off-spinner Mehidy comes on only as a batsman in the side whereas Liton Das was also the designated wicket-keeper in the XI.
- In case you missed it, Mehidy Hasan and Taijul Islam have come in as concussion substitutes, albeit with some caveats. Read here for full story.
- The boundaries are flowing at the moment: 8 hits to the fence from five overs. Including a couple of trademark cover drives from the bat of Kohli. India is just 34 runs behind Bangladesh's total.
- Meanwhile, Pujara goes to 15,000 first class runs with a square cut and India goes past fifty.
- We are back for the final session of the first day's play. WICKET! Rohit doesn't make the most of his second life. Ebadot Hossain gets one to tail in to which Rohit shoulders arms to. He is given out and Rohit reviews it but the decision will be umpire's call. The wicket brings the introduction of skipper Kohli for the first time to face a pink ball in international cricket. Ebadot finds the edge of Kohli and the ball flies in between the slip and gully region.
- Indian cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble among others are being paraded around the venue in a golf cart.
- That's tea then. Bangladesh could have gone into the break with both Indian openers in the hut if Al-Amin had managed to hold that chance. Instead, India is 35/1, trailing by 71 runs.
- DROPPED! What a howler from Al-Amin! Abu Jayed suckered Rohit into a pull and the opener is dropped on the square third man boundary by Al-Amin... much to the cheer of the Kolkata home support. Virat Kohli had mentioned yesterday that fielding will be difficult with the pink ball but this probably had nothing to do with the ball. Straight-forward chance grassed.
- Update from Eden: Bangladesh has now two concussion substitutes on the field. Taijul Islam has replaced Nayeem Hasan and Mehidy Hasan playing as a batsman for Liton Das.
- WICKET ! And a big one at that. It's the in-form Mayank Agarwal, who has been caught in the slips. Cheteshwar Pujara joins Rohit.
- Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma get India's first innings under way. Agarwal opens his account with a boundary. Al-Amin with the new ball for Bangladesh. Should be interesting to see how the Indian openers negotiate the pink ball under lights. Rohit, meanwhile, gets off the mark with a six. IND 11/0 after 1 over.
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- That's a wrap. Bangladesh folds for 106. Abu Jayed goes for a duck. Theatrics to get that catch from Pujara. We see a little juggling but Pujara gets his man. Shami has a wide smile on his face. 50th Test catch for Pujara. This day has well and truly been India's.
- WICKET. And that's five for Ishant Sharma. Nayeem gone for 19. Bangladesh has lost its ninth wicket courtesy a gorgeous legcutter. Pitches between middle and off and sends the off stump flying. We don't know about you, but watching stumps fly has to be one of the most beautiful things in cricket.
- 100 comes up for Bangladesh . Four leg byes. Saha's athleticism will not be able to contain this one from Nayeem. Flicked down leg and Bangladesh finally makes it to a three-figure score. 102/8 in 28.2 overs.
- WICKET! Were the Tigers getting a little happy making those runs there? Well, not anymore. Ishant tried a legcutter in the previous delivery and went on to tempt Mehidy once more with a full delivery. Mehidy flicks it upwards and it seems like Pujara has stopped the ball from running away. But here's the thing, he has also managed a lovely low catch to take Mehidy out altogether. Good catch here from Pujara, one more casualty for the visitor. Bangladesh 98/8. Hiccups ahead of the team century here.
Bangladesh inching towards 100 here. 98/7 at the end of 27 overs.
- Two boundaries off two balls now for Bangladesh. First a low-momentum short ball from Shami that's put away over the slips. Funny how Nayeem initially wanted to duck and let the ball go but sees an opportunity and takes full advantage. The second, again a short one outside the off stump - put away to point. Kohli and Shami are smiling. Tiny leaks here.
- FOUR. Nicely done played by Mehidy. Gets on the front foot with an open bat to nick this Ishant Sharma delivery between gully and backward point. Bangladesh needs more of this if it wants to stay alive in this session.
- No damages done but what a delivery from Mohammed Shami. Just about misses the top of middle and leg by barely a few inches. Another display of Saha's brilliant keeping. He has been a delight to watch today. Bangladesh 82.7 after 24.2 overs.
- WICKET - Ishant Sharma strikes immediately after Lunch and a tentative Ebadat Hossain could only watch his off-stump take a beating. Bangladesh seven down.
- Mohammed Shami starts with a brutal bouncer and this time Nayeem Hasan takes a hit. The ball took off after pitching and hits bang on the batsman's helmet.
- The second session gets underway and it will be Ishant Sharma who will start proceedings. Bangladesh after falling apart in the first session of play need a miracle to bat through the rest of the day.
Concussion substitute: Mehidy Hasan comes in for Liton Das as his concussion substitute.
Liton Das has walked off after discussing with the leg umpire and the physio. The umpires at this moment, have called for Lunch with India firmly on top.
Liton Das is receiving treatment after being hit on the head by a Shami bouncer. The Indian pacers have been breathing fire.
WICKET - What a catch by Wriddhiman Saha! It was a stunner. Ishant draws an outside edge of Mahmudullah, the ball was going towards Virat Kohli at first slip but Saha dived to his right to pouch an excellent low catch. Bangladesh in all sorts of trouble.
First signs of spin and it will be Ravindra Jadeja.
50 up for Bangladesh: The team fifty is up but the visitor is reeling under serious pressure, having lost five wickets.
WICKET - Five down inside two hours of play. Bangladesh is crumbling and Umesh gets his third wicket. Shadman Islam departs as he gets an edge and Saha doesn't drop those.
WICKET - Third duck in a row and this time Shami castles Mushfiqur. Good length delivery, Mushfiqur tries to defend it, but the ball just rolls back to disturb the stumps after pitching. Bangladesh in all sorts of trouble. 26/4 and the Indian pacers continue to torment the opposition.
WICKET - Umesh strikes again and this time castles Mithun who departs for a duck. He is on fire and the cowd has found its voice.
WICKET - Rohit Sharma takes a blinder to pack off Mominul Haque for a duck. Umesh Yadav snares an outside edge and Rohit dives to his right to take an excellent catch.
Mohammed Shami almost had a wicket off his first ball and then thought he had Shadman Islam caught behind. Marais Erasmus was unmoved but India went for a review that they eventually lost.
Mominul Haque is the new man in.
WICKET - Imrul Kayes runs out of luck as Ishant Sharma traps him in front. Kayes went for the review but ended up walking back to the dugout.
First review of the match and Bangladesh opener Imrul Kayes successfuly reviews. There was an appeal for caught behind, the umpire raised his finger but replays suggested that there was no bat involved.
Decent start from the Bangladeshi openers as they are not taking any risks. Ishant has been on the money while Umesh is yet to get into a rhythm. Bangladesh 14/0 after 5 overs.
Excellent from Ishant Sharma as he starts with a maiden.
Shadman Islam takes guard and at the other end it will be Imrul Kayes. For India, Ishant Sharma is all set to start the proceedings. Here we go!
The anthems are done and dusted and so as the bell ringing ceremony. It's time for the actual action to unfold.
The dignitaries including the legendary Sachin Tendulkar are meeting the players with Virat Kohli introducing his team.
Playing XI
India: Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma
Bangladesh: Shadman Islam, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque(c), Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Liton Das(w), Nayeem Hasan, Abu Jayed, Al-Amin Hossain, Ebadat Hossain
- Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bowl first.
- Alright Bangladesh Prime Minister along with West Bengal CM are in the ground and Virat Kohli is walking out for the toss.
The match is scheduled to start at 1:00 PM IST.
People of Bangladesh feel comfortable in Kolkata. They don’t need translators. The players can answer in Bengali at press conferences. River fish and a warm plate full of rice is a staple in the Eden Gardens canteen. On Thursday, the decorators’ table across the kitchen turned into a marriage reception dining desk as journalists from both the countries sat down to relish a meal together discussing cricket.
That’s what this day-night Test promises — brotherhood and a collective effort to revive the highest form of the sport in a land that is not alien.
India didn’t want to start its pink ball business in Australia last year, and for the Tigers, playing in this part of the world is nothing less than home. Dhaka is 30 minutes or so by air.
READ: Fielding will be challenging, says Kohli
At present, the city of joy has taken a leaf out of Steven Tyler’s books. Many years ago, the Aerosmith frontman had written, “You could be my flamingo ‘cause pink is the new kinda lingo.” The mood of the song is in the air. A pink balloon is floating, there are tiny pink bulbs in the stands, a pink mascot is advertising the Test match, the scoreboard is pink and the tallest building of the city, The 42, has pink lights installed.
All the colour, sights and sounds have come together for a World Cup-like ambience. But in reality, the Test could be over in three days. Most of the Indian cricketers have bit the pink ball dust in domestic cricket but the story is different for Bangladesh. The only pink ball match across the country was six years ago where none of the current players featured.
However, both the sides have trained hard to brace themselves for the new challenge. Being 1-0 up, India will be aiming for a clean sweep. Bangladesh needs to pull off a miracle to stretch this Test to day five. Among the batsmen, only Mushfiqur Rahim looks promising, and Abu Jayed is the only bowler who made the cherry talk.
Bangladesh needs a solid opening partnership to stamp its authority. Imrul Kayes and Shadman Islam have been below par with their approach against the new-ball bowlers. There is not much to tinker as the tourist do not have anymore openers in its arsenal after an injury to Saif Hassan. The reserve opener has been ruled out of the Kolkata Test due to split webbing.
The onus will be on Rahim and middle-order batsman Liton Das who looked classy in bits and pieces in Indore. It will difficult for finger spinners to grip the pink ball if dew throws a challenge but Mehidy Hasan Miraz may be preferred to Taijul Islam for his batting abilities.
Virat Kohli and Co. have been top class in the World Test Championship so far. They have won all the six Tests — home and away in the West Indies — and there is not much to worry.
Having found an attacking opener in Mayank Agarwal, it will be looking to bat once as usual. This is also Rohit Sharma’s happy hunting ground. He missed out on Indore and if he strikes the right chord here, he will need just about 100 to 120-odd balls to snatch the game away from the Tigers.
Pitch talk
The green top will be a delight for the quicks. Sri Lanka pacer Suranga Lakmal had run through the Indian top order two years ago on this pitch, which is good news for Abu Jayed, Ebadat Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman, if he makes it to the XI.
The Indian pacers have been prolific everywhere. Pink or red, green or not, they have been hunting in packs. Even without Jasprit Bumrah, the combination of Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami sent Bangladesh packing in the first Test.
Kuldeep Yadav’s frequent guest appearances at the Indore nets leads to speculations about his chances in this Test. It will be logical as a wrist spinner will have less difficulty in gripping the pink ball dipped in dew. It remains to be seen if the chinaman makes a comeback.
Paratroopers were supposed to fly down from the sky to hand over the pink balls to the captains, Virat Kohli and Mominul Haque. It now stands cancelled due to security issues.
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