BCCI President Sourav Ganguly's photo flashes next to Kolkata's tallest building The 42 on the eve of India's first Test with the pink ball. | Photo: Ashok Nath Dey | ThePrint
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Kolkata: The colour pink draped the city of Kolkata as India played its maiden Day/Night Test match Friday in front of political heavyweights, cricket bigwigs and a packed crowd at Eden Gardens.
New BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, who had promised a spectacle, lived up to the hype by arranging a first-of-its-kind match in less than a month’s time.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee rang the Eden Gardens Bell ahead of the toss but it was the enthusiastic Kolkata fans who gave the match its character.
ThePrint captured some glimpses of the ‘pink fever’ which has gripped Kolkata.
Indian captain Virat Kohli tackles the pink ball under the lights at Eden Gardens. He remained unbeaten on 59 at the end of the first day’s play. | Photo: Ashok Nath Dey | ThePrintLeft to right: Sachin Tendulkar, Sheikh Hasina, Mamata Banerjee, Sourav Ganguly and Jay Shah met the players before the historic game. | Photo: Ashok Nath Dey | ThePrintBangladesh batsman Ebadat Hossain castled by Ishant Sharma. Indian pacers scalped all the 10 Bangladeshi wickets in the first innings. | Photo: Ashok Nath Dey | ThePrintKapil Dev sported a special pink jacket for the occasion. He is seen here with Krishnamachari Srikkanth taking a lap of Eden Gardens on a cart. | Photo: Ashok Nath Dey | ThePrintFrom left to right: V.V.S. Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble and Sachin Tendulkar recollect another historic Test at Eden — India’s famous win against Australia in 2002. “We’ve all got together for the first time since our playing days,” said Anil Kumble. “Thanks to Dada (Sourav Ganguly) that we’ve had a pink-ball Test. Couldn’t have been at a better place than Eden Gardens.” | Photo: Ashok Nath Dey | ThePrintBangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, along with Sourav Ganguly and Mamata Banerjee, felicitates Sania Mirza. Former cricket players of Bangladesh’s first team to visit India join her in the background. | Photo: Ashok Nath Dey | ThePrint
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