IND vs BAN, Day-Night Test: Fielding Biggest Challenge With Pink Ball, Feels Kohli

Following the practice sessions, the Indian captain has come to the conclusion that fielding with the SG pink ball would be a very challenging task

Indian cricket team has been sweating relentlessly at the nets ahead of the historic pink-ball Test against Bangladesh, beginning from Friday in Kolkata. In fact, on Wednesday, captain Virat Kohli was spotted at the Eden Gardens batting for a long while during the twilight period. The players also went through fielding drills as well, with Rohit Sharma even picking up a minor knock on his hand while catching at slips. Following these sessions, the Indian captain has come to the conclusion that fielding with the SG pink ball would be a very challenging task. “Batting is something we were focusing a lot. As batsmen, you think of cutting down those errors when you are playing with a different-coloured ball. We were looking to solidify our technique. We are fine with that. But what surprised me were fielding sessions,” said the captain at the pre-match press conference. The 31-year old further said that high catching during the day would become very difficult due to the visibility of the ball being an issue. “Dip perception was very difficult when the ball went up in the air. So during the day, high catches will be very difficult. We had to watch the ball straight into our palms more often than not. With red and white balls, you have an idea of how fast the ball is coming down but with the pink ball, if you don't look at the ball until your palms, it's gone. “Fielding session was much more challenging. People are going to be surprised how challenging fielding with this ball can be,” Kohli emphasised. Among other challenges, the Indian skipper said batters need to have a better idea of where their off-stump is. “Your idea of off-stump, that's going to be the most crucial thing because even yesterday when we practised, we felt that the ball could be closer to you but it's actually not that close to the off-stump. That channel one has to be careful,” said Kohli.