11 March,2022 08:15 AM IST | Bangalore | R Kaushik
India players during a training session at Bangalore yesterday. Pic/AFP
The sound of pink-ball thudding into well-crafted bats reverberated around the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on a warm Thursday afternoon that segued into a pleasant evening. It's been nearly 26 months since an international game was played at the venue; the India v Australia ODI in January 2020 is but a distant memory, but the long wait for a slice of action will come to an end on Saturday when Rohit Sharma's men lock horns with Sri Lanka in the second and final Test.
Much of the attention in the lead-up to the first Test in Mohali had centred around Rohit and the man he succeeded as Test skipper, Virat Kohli. After all, it was the Mumbaikar's first five-day game as the Indian captain, while his predecessor was making his 100th Test appearance. India celebrated the occasion in grand style, romping to an innings and 222 runs victory inside three days to haul their stuttering World Test Championship campaign back on track.
The second Test will not be so much about the individual as the collective. This will mark the Karnataka capital's introduction to day-night Test cricket - only Kolkata and Ahmedabad have hosted pink-ball Tests in the country previously - and the excitement is palpable. Box office tickets went on sale on Sunday and attracted mile-long queues. Overwhelmed by the response and with COVID-19 cases on the decline in the city and state, the Karnataka State Cricket Association has decided, with the state government's nod, to allow 100 per cent attendance of the 33,000-seater stadium.
The teams sweated it out at the Chinnaswamy on Thursday, with the 22-yard strip in sharp focus. Within hours of landing here on Wednesday, the Indian coaching group of Rahul Dravid, Paras Mhambrey and Vikram Rathour had made a beeline to the venue for their first look of a surface that should stand up nicely to the rigours of day-night Test cricket. There is expected nervous anticipation with the unknown looming large, but there is a feeling of confidence within those tasked with pitch preparation that they have a handle on things.
India are expected to make at least one change with off-spinner Jayant Yadav set to make way for one of paceman Mohammed Siraj or left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who took 11 for 70 in the last day-night Test in India, against England in Ahmedabad last year. Sri Lanka are almost certain to bring in Kusal Mendis with Pathum Nissanka a doubtful starter owing to back issues.
