Kolkata, June 19 (IANS) Eden Gardens made history by hosting India's first day-night game with pink ball on Saturday.
The iconic stadium, a witness to many firsts, saw the new format make its debut in the Cricket Association of Bengal super league final between Mohun Bagan and Bhowanipore.
The seamers got good purchase, as the ball skidded, but remained firm and was perfectly visible. However, the spinners got less assistance.
Umpire Premdip Chatterjee said he was "really surprised".
"I never expected the ball will remain so firm. It was perfectly visible. The seam remained intact," said Chatterjee.
At the end of the day, Mohun Bagan notched up 276 for 8 after batting for 85.2 overs.
The highlight of the Bagan innings was a 131-ball 83 by Anushtup Majumdar. Sanjib Sanyal was in the middle with 51 at draw of stumps.
Msajumdar was all praise for the pink ball. "It was a nice experience. Visibility was not an issue. Initially I faced a bit of difficulty as the ball skidded and seamed, but was also coming on to the bat. Once I was settled, it was easy to bat on."
On the other hand, Bhowanipore pacer Ravikant Singh, who had represented India in the under-19 World Cup, finished with three wickets.
Bhowanipore left arm pacer Geet Puri got two wickets. He claimed the day's first victim in the form of Mohun Bagan opener Jayjit Basu as the ball moved away after pitching.
Puri said the ball felt lighter, and swung a lot. "It was great bowling with the pink ball. I could control it better."
He found one vital difference between the pink and the red ball.
"In the red ball, we can keep the shine on one side. But that I think is not possible with the pink one, and so I feel it won't have reverse swing."
