Gearing up for the pink: Ravi Shastri offers prayers at Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar temple ahead of Ind-Bangla Eden Test

On Monday evening, the fans of Indian cricket got to see a glimpse of coach Ravi Shastri in a religious avatar. Shastri was seen offering prayers at the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, ahead of the first ever day-night Test match at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Friday.

For the uninitiated, day-night Test matches are being played to make 5-day format more attractive so that cricket enthusiasts can see matches after work.

While Virat Kohli et al are busy practising and honing their skills, the 57-year-old decided to offer prayers at the Ujjain temple. This will be the first Test that the Indian cricket team will play against the pink ball.


For those who are unfamiliar with the pink cherry, let us fill you in. The pink ball is used instead of the red ball when a match is being played under the floodlights. The pink hue gives more night-time visibility to the ball.

Despite the poor turnout of viewers during India-South Africa series, the Indian cricket team agreed to play the first ever day-night Test match. The new BCCI Chief, Sourav Ganguly, had proposed the idea of going for the pink ball which was accepted by Kohli almost immediately.

It will be interesting to see if Shastri’s prayers will lead to fruition and if India will emerge victorious in the Test match on November 22.