Kolkata's Eden Gardens entered the records books by hosting the first-ever pink ball match in India on Saturday as Mohun Bagan and Bhowanipore Club kicked off the four-day Cricket Association of Bengal-organised Super League final on Saturday
Arun Lal (right) & Manoj Tiwary release pink balloons prior to the pink-ball tie on Saturday
Kolkata: Kolkata's Eden Gardens entered the records books by hosting the first-ever pink ball match in India on Saturday as Mohun Bagan and Bhowanipore Club kicked off the four-day Cricket Association of Bengal-organised Super League final on Saturday.
Arun Lal (right) & Manoj Tiwary release pink balloons prior to the pink-ball tie on Saturday. Pic/PTI
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Commentators Arun Lal, Aakash Chopra and Australian Dean Jones were most interested in finding out how soon does the pink ball lose its shine. There was good amount of grass on the wicket to maintain the shine and the shape of the ball was not a problem.
It swung but did not turn at all. Arun Lal, who made a comeback in the commentary box after cancer surgery on Saturday, observed: "Teams in the sub-continent depend a lot on their spinners, but the organisers have provided a grassy surface so that the polish is retained. It will interesting to see how sub-continent teams cope with this, but I am sure they will work out a method."
Mohun Bagan ended Day One on 276-8. Anushtup Majumdar scored 83 while Sanjib Sanyal made 51 not out. Ravikant Singh (three wickets) was the pick of the bowlers for Bhowanipore.