Bangladesh off-spinner Mehidy Hasan said that his side “are not tensed at all”, rather they are “excited” about the prospect may not have made any impact in the first test against India in Indore, but he is agog about playing the second day-night test with the pink ball under lights in Kolkata starting on Thursday.
“It's a totally new experience, we are not tensed at all,” Mehidy said after his team's practice session in Indore on Monday a day before leaving for Kolkata. However, he said the Bangladesh team did not get enough practice with the pink ball in Indore. We didn't get enough time to practice with the pink ball. But we are trying to overcome our shortcomings," Mehidy said.
"I think we all are excited to play the day/night Test with pink ball for the first time. That's a matter of huge excitement. We remain normal and take the preparation that we usually take before any match," he said. After practicing with the pink ball, Mehidy explained the difference he felt while batting. "I batted today (on November 18) and found that the ball moves more than the traditional red ball," he said.
"The ball seems to be heavy and if the bat connects with the ball, it goes quickly. I think pink ball can offer substantial swing from the beginning. It is important to get set in the crease. If one can get set, he will find it easier, he said. The pink ball is generally considered to help pacers significantly but Mehidy is of the view that there would be something on offer for spinners too in Kolkata.
"Spinners, I think, can skid the ball. There may be some bounce and turn. From what we have seen, the pink ball can offer bounce for spinners," he said. In Indore, Mehidy finished with 1/125 in 27 overs while with the bat, he registered a golden duck in the first innings and hit 38 in the second.
The 22-year-old hopes to better his own performance and asked other youngsters in the team to step up for the visitors to put up a better fight. "The seniors' performance over the years took us here," Mehidy pointed out. "So the performances of juniors, I mean the junior players who are playing for long, is very important. The likes of me, Liton, Mustafizur, Shadman, Mithun should step up to support the seniors," according to Mehidy.