Deadline: November 22, 2019 at 1 PM IST
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Pitch report
The pitch won’t be a centre of attraction anymore. No matter how thin the level of grass is, the pink ball finds a way to swing itself. To make matters worse for the batsmen, the sun sets early in Kolkata. The batting will be easy only until supper. Power your fantasy team with fast bowlers.
Teams
Probable XI for India: Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Umesh Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma
Probable XI for Bangladesh: Shadnam Ismail, Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque (c), Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Liton Das (wk), Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam, Abu Jayed, Ebadat Hossain
NOTE: Pick your fantasy cricket team wisely.
Preview
Tickets for the first three days are sold out. Given the way Bangladesh fell prey to the Indian bowlers with the red ball, it is highly unlikely they will last longer against the pink ball.
Truth be told, in a long time, the fans cannot wait to see the Indian pacers perform in a Test in India. This is a country obsessed with their batsmen. Here, cracks start to open up on the first day, helping spinners catch batsmen in a maze. None of it is expected in the second Test, and this is what makes this match fascinating. Watch out for the pace trio of Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, and Umesh Yadav.
Players to watch out for
Rohit Sharma’s tryst with the Eden Gardens isn’t unknown. His 264, the highest ODI score, came here. He scored 177 on his Test debut here. And he has an IPL hundred here. If there’s one achievement he is yet to attain at Kolkata, then it is a hundred with the pink ball. You never know.
Mushfiqur Rahim was the only Bangladesh batsmen who looked comfortable at the crease. He was unlucky to get a ripper from Mohammad Shami in the first innings. He then made amends in the second and scored the only fifty from his team.
Every hundred that Mayank Agarwal scores glorifies Ranji Trophy. He is a terrific product of a spectacular tournament. He now has two double-hundreds in 8 Tests, and to top it all, his scores in Pink ball cricket read 92, 161, 58, 57, 52.
Mohammad Shami has jumped to the No. 6 in ICC Test Rankings for bowlers, even ahead of R Ashwin. Need we say more?
Ajinkya Rahane has been the most excited about the pink ball of late, sharing posts on it on social media. He was also seen training rigorously in the nets. He has jumped to the fifth spot in the rankings.
4 of the 6 Indian wickets that fell in the opening Test belonged to Abu Jayed. His biggest achievement was dismissing Virat Kohli for a duck. He could have had Mayank Agarwal as well had Bangladeshis not been sloppy in the field.
Match prediction
There’s not much to predict. All odds are against Bangladesh. But cricket is a funny game!
Also, get to know the tips & tricks on how to play fantasy cricket.