PM arrives in Kolkata to watch day-night Test match

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in Kolkata of India on Friday morning to watch the second Test match of a two-match Test series between Bangladesh and India that will begin at Eden Gardens on Friday.

A special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage landed at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here at 10:25 am (Indian time), reports UNB.

The Prime Minister was received by Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das and President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Sourav Ganguly at the airport.

Earlier, the flight departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at 10:15am.

During her short visit, the Prime Minister will stay at Hotel Taj Bengal Kolkata.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina to attend the historic day-night Test match which will be played with pink ball.

Earlier, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly invited Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to watch the second Test match to be held from November 22 to 26.

Hasina will go to the Eden Gardens Stadium at about 12:30pm (local time) where she along with Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee will ring the ceremonial bell for the opening of the test match between Bangladesh and India.

After watching the first session of the second Test match, the Prime Minister will return to her place of residence.

In the evening, she will again go to the stadium. After the first day's match, she will attend a small cultural programme to be followed by a felicitation programme arranged by the Cricket Association of Bengal at the ground of Eden Gardens Stadium and deliver her speech.

Later, she will go to the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. The Prime Minister will depart from Kolkata by Biman Bangladesh Airlines’ Special flight at 10pm (local time) and landed at Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at 11:30pm (Bangladesh time).

Earlier, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, while briefing reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi will not join Sheikh Hasina in Kolkata due to his pre-occupation.

He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be treated as a State guest.