Virat Kohli on Saturday (November 23) became the first Indian batsman to crack a century in pink-ball Test, which is being held at the iconic Eden Gardens against Bangladesh. But the first Indian to slam a century in a competitive match being played with the pink ball had been Rahul Dravid.
In 2011, Dravid had featured in the English County Championship curtain-raiser, a match wherein the pink ball was used, for MCC against Nottinghamshire.
Batting in that game in Abu Dhabi, Dravid had registered a two-ball duck in the first innings but he notched up a century in the second essay. His 106 was the highest score of the match as the MCC won by a massive 174 runs.
Dravid had played a key role in India’s preparations for the ongoing Day-Night Test as well. Before the historic match, opener Mayank Agarwal revealed that the team has had three pink ball sessions under lights which was arranged by National Cricket Academy (NCA) chief - Rahul Dravid.
"We've had three pink-ball sessions under lights, Rahul Dravid arranged those in Bangalore. Looking forward to the game now. It's going to be a landmark game for us," Agarwal had said.
Commenting on the pink ball Test, Dravid recently said, “It is a novelty that will attract people to the stadium and must be tried. But basic things like toilets, seating, car parking need to be looked into too.”
(Inputs from The Indian Express)
