Indian sports legends to grace day-night Test at Eden Gardens

Kolkata: India's finest cricketers including Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev will assemble during the country's first-ever day-night Test against Bangladesh, starting here on Friday.

The iconic Eden Gardens is all set to witness a musical extravaganza in the presence of former cricketers, sports stars, celebrities and politicians during India and Bangladesh's first-ever pink ball Test.

According to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly, the second Test of the two-match series will be one to remember.

"Sachin (Tendulkar), (Sunil) Gavaskar, Kapil (Dev), Rahul (Dravid), Anil (Kumble) everyone will be there. In tea time, there will be carts going around the stadium with former captains in them," Ganguly said here on Wednesday.

"There is a musical performance at tea time and at the end of the day there is a felicitation. Both the teams, former captains, (Bangladesh) Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, (West Bengal) Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) will be there.

"(Bangladeshi playback singer) Runa Laila will be performing, (Bollywood music director) Jeet Ganguly will be performing. I am very excited. Just see the excitement, four days are already sold out in a Test match," he added.

Asked whether after the Eden Test, India will play a day-night Test in its upcoming tour of Australia in January next year, Ganguly replied: "We will see."

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and BCCI have put in place several plans to mark India's maiden pink ball Test.

Sheikh Hasina is expected to ring the 'Eden Bell' along with Mamata Banerjee on the first day of the match.

Besides, a host of sporting stars, including shuttler P V Sindhu, chess ace Viswanathan Anand and tennis icon Sania Mirza are expected to grace the occasion.

As per plans, paratroopers are expected to fly into Eden to hand a pink ball each to captains Virat Kohli and Mominul Haque just before the toss.

The CAB has also organised a talk show featuring the 'Fabulous Five' of Indian cricket -- Ganguly, Tendulkar, Dravid, Kumble and V V S Laxman during the 40-minute dinner break. They will talk about the historic 2001 Test win against Australia at the Eden.

The CAB also plans to felicitate sporting stars, including Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra, Sania, Sindhu and six-time boxing world champion M C Mary Kom among others.