B'desh PM Sheikh Hasina to attend Test match in Eden Gardens

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has confirmed her presence on the first day of the second Test match between India and Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in Kolkata slated to take place from November 22 to 26, BCCI president-elect Sourav Ganguly said.

"If all goes as planned, she will ring the bell at the stadium to signal the start of the game. We will also send an invitation to Prime Minister Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister," Ganguly told reporters on Thursday.

On the Bangladesh cricketers' strike issue, Ganguly said that the matter will be sorted out by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and expressed optimism that the players will come to India for the tour.

The Bangladeshi players have decided not to take part in any cricket activity until their 11 demands are met. These include the reversal of the BCB's decision last month to abandon the Bangladesh Premier League's (BPL) franchise-based model.

The decision made on BPL resulted in the reduction of the average professional cricketer's earning to an all-time low. The cricket governing body also did not raise match fees in the first-class competition that began earlier this month.

Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmadullah were some of the prominent players who announced their demands during the press conference at National Cricket Academy in Dhaka on Monday.

Bangladesh is scheduled to tour India for three-match T20I and two-match Test match series, starting from November 3.