Eden Gardens painted pink as India’s City of Joy embraces day-night Tests

Kolkata is all is readiness to witness history. The iconic Eden Gardens in the City of Joy is gearing up for India’s maiden day-night Test against Bangladesh. The two-match series started with the opening Test at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, but the focus has always been on the epic Test, the second and last of the series. Even a month ago, it wasn’t decided whether the game would take place or not.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) came to an agreement for the most-awaited game. The renowned ground is set to see packed house, especially in the first three days. With only a few hours remaining, the excitement surrounding the match is on an escalation and even the fans are waiting in anticipation to be a part of the historic moment.

Among the major Test playing nations, only India and Bangladesh are yet to play under the lights with the pink-ball. In the lead up to the encounter, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is turning no stones down in order to make it a memorable outing. BCCI released a video where the entire Eden Gardens can be seen lit in pink. The world’s richest cricket board released a 17-minute video.

Here is BCCIs’ video of the pink-shaded Eden Gardens

Kolkata gearing up for the #PinkBallTest 😊😊#TeamIndia #INDvBAN pic.twitter.com/16p66AvHTn

— BCCI (@BCCI) November 20, 2019

Can Bangladesh stop India’s surge?

Amidst all the hubbub surrounding the game, the two teams have been practicing hard in order to ensure than they don’t find themselves in a hole. Mominul Haque Showrabh and Virat Kohli’s men have constantly sweated it out to get accustomed to the pink ball and also gauge its nature. India had an easy win in Indore and the Tigers will have to pull out something special to defy the odds.

The epic match will start with the Army paratroopers flying into the Eden Gardens to hand over the pink balls to the captains before the toss. It will be followed by the customary bell ringing by Sheikh Hasina, the Bangladesh Prime Minister and Mamata Banerjee, the West Bengal Chief Minister. The CAB will also felicitate the team members of the first India-Bangladesh Test way back in 2000.