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Bangladesh PM to watch Day/Night Test in Kolkata

Last updated on: November 21, 2019 18:43 IST

Bangladesh

IMAGE: Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (right) and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Photograph: Ashok Bhaumik/PTI Photo/File

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will witness the opening day's play of India's maiden day-night Test in Kolkata on Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

 

India takes on Bangladesh in its first ever pink-ball Test at the iconic Eden Gardens, seven years after the International Cricket Council gave its approval to the format.

MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said Hasina visit Kolkata for a day to witness the historic match at the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"This request was made in view of the historic nature of the first-ever day-night Test match to be played on Indian soil, and bearing in mind the special occasion that this represents in Indian sport," Kumar said at a media briefing.

"So, it was most appropriate that the first day-night Test in India, being played between India and Bangladesh, be inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh," he said.

So far, 11 day-night Tests have been played in various cricket-playing countries after the ICC's approval to it seven years back.

Hasina visited India in October during which the two sides decided to further broad-base their overall bilateral ties. The two countries signed seven pacts and launched three projects during her visit.

Ties between the two neighbouring countries are on the upswing in the last five years.

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