Prospect of pink-ball Test excites Mehidy

"It's a totally new experience, we are not tensed at all," Mehidy said after his team's practice session on Monday, 18 November. "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."

After practising with the pink ball, Mehidy explained the difference he felt while batting. "I have batted today and found 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 swing heavily from the beginning. It is important to get set in the crease. If one can get set he will find it easier. We didn't get enough time to practise with the pink ball. But we are trying to overcome our shortcomings."

The pink ball is known to offer significant assistance for pacers. Mehidy however, added there would be something on offer for the spinners too.

"Spinners, I think, can skid the ball. There may be some bounce and turn. From what we have seen pink ball can offer bounce for the spinners," he observed.

"About the seam, it can be identified when it lands on the seam and sometimes the seam can't be identified. Maybe sometimes it might not be possible to predict the seam position,'' he said, adding that they would get a better idea after practising for a couple of more days.

Mehidy couldn't create much of an impact with the ball in the first Test in Indore, finishing with 1/125 from 27 overs, while with the bat, he registered a golden duck in the first innings and scored 38 in the second. The 22-year-old hopes to better his own performance and has called for 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."

"To be honest, I am working with the coaches to make sure that I check the flow of runs while playing in foreign conditions. But in the last match they played really aggressive cricket. We feel that if I can strangle the flow of runs, I get more opportunities to get wickets in foreign conditions. But at home, the case is different all-together."

The second and final Test will be played at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, starting on Friday, 22 November.