We practised with the pink ball during an optional session in Mohali itself: Jasprit Bumrah on India's D/N Test preparations

Ahead of their fourth day-night Test match, adjustment is the need of the hour for Team India – be it match timings or playing with the pink ball. Vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah revealed that the pink-ball preparations started immediately after the first Test in Mohali.

For a team that embraced day-night Tests as late as November 2019, India are still in the process of figuring out the behavioural patterns of the pink ball. After the first game against Sri Lanka ended inside three days, the team had an optional practice session scheduled which they made full use of by bringing out the pink cherries.

“When the match ended, we had an optional session in Mohali and we of course practised with the pink ball. Because we were going to play the next match with the pink ball, so adequate practice is important,” Bumrah said in response to a Sportskeeda query ahead of the Bangalore Test starting Saturday.

He further added that their training sessions at the Chinnaswamy Stadium are being held bearing in mind the timings of a day-night Test and that they’ll have to play under lights.

“The timings are different, so there are certain adjustments that you’ll have to make. While playing a Test match, you practice early morning because your sleep pattern is also like that. But in this, these are adjustments that you’ll have to make, that we’ll play till late at night. We’ve to be used to practising at that time and we did that yesterday. So all of these adjustments are very important and, as professional cricketers, it is a part of our journey and we have to keep up with it,” the 28-year-old remarked.

After sweeping the T20I series 3-0, India registered a comprehensive victory – by an innings and 222 runs – in the first Test as Ravindra Jadeja stole the slow with 175* and nine wickets.

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"Mental adjustments are there” – Jasprit Bumrah

Shubman Gill practises against the pink ball during a training session in Bengaluru [Credits: BCCI]

Jasprit Bumrah made no bones about the fact that they haven’t quite decoded the pink ball yet. He mentioned that the team is learning on the fly, while going through notes from their previous three day-night Tests.

“We’re playing a pink-ball Test after a long time, so the mental adjustments are there – catching the ball with the pink ball, playing the ball with the pink ball, and playing Test match cricket under lights. So we want to adjust to all these quickly; we’ve addressed in the team meeting as well that what are the points we have to keep in mind and what are the adjustments that we’ll have to make. So we’ve all kept that in mind and we’re trying to replicate that in the training sessions,” Bumrah stated.

The speedster said that they are trying to come to terms with the fact that the new pink ball won’t swing as much as it normally does during the first session of a Test match. But he is also aware of getting some assistance after sundown. In essence, one should not be taken aback if off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin comes into the attack in the first hour itself.

“The pink ball looks different when you’re fielding; it comes quicker than you expect. The timings of the pink-ball Test are different. Generally, the ball swings the most in the morning session. But here it might be opposite – the ball might not do anything when we start in afternoon, but start taking more swing after dark.

"So there are many such small pointers. Since we’ve not played a lot of matches with the pink ball, and the ones we’ve played have been under different conditions, so we can’t set a parameter. But all those things that we’ve noticed and are in our control, we’re trying to work on those things,” Bumrah elaborated.

After steamrolling Bangladesh in their inaugural pink-ball Test in Kolkata, India were thrashed by Australia in December 2020 which also had them bundled out for their lowest Test score ever – 36 for nine. Virat Kohli’s boys, however, came roaring back as they beat England by 10 wickets in Ahmedabad in February 2021.