Team India Tense, Pink Ball Can Kill Spin & Reverse Swing: Report

The pink ball, which has be manufactured by SG, an Indian company, has an extra coating of lacquer.

(Photo: BCCI)

With only few days left to go for Team India’s maiden tryst with Day-Night Test, some serious concerns have emerged in the Indian camp over the pink ball that will be used in the Kolkata Test against Bangladesh. In the few days of practice, it has been identified that the new ball might end countering reverse swing and spin – the key strengths of the bowling line-up at home

A senior member of the Indian camp told The Indian Express that problems might not be evident during the Test against Bangladesh, starting on, Friday, 22 November but in the long run it won’t be wise of India to sacrifice their traditional strength.

“These problems might not come up during the Test against Bangladesh, but it’s important for the future. Is it wise to go into Tests against tough opponents in India without the traditional Indian strengths?”

A senior member of the Indian camp to <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/buzz-in-india-camp-pink-ball-will-kill-spin-reverse-swing6127869/">The Indian Express</a>

“That might end up playing into the hands of opposition teams. What might work as an advantage in certain overseas conditions is a disadvantage in the Indian scenario,” added the player.

Apart from this, the confusion over the colour of the ball has also become a problem. Ashwin highlighted it during the Indore Test.

“For starters, I don’t know whether it’s pink or orange,” Ashwin had said.

The ball, which has an extra coating of lacquer, appears to be orange under the floodlights. The extra coating retain its colour over the course of the match.

“It’s possible that as the pink lacquer mixes with the leather, it projects an orange colour under lights. In fact, when the surface is scratched, the colour turns pink,” a member of the Indian team management told The Indian Express.

As far as the problem with reverse swing is concerned, the lacquer coating is not the only problem, it is the outfield and the pitch which has a role to play. In order to make sure that the ball doesn’t lose its colour and shine, a lot more grass is left on the pitch and the outfield, which is surely a deterrent for reverse swing.

“If the pink ball demands such conditions, there can’t be a dry abrasive pitch at all for Tests. And with the dew factor, the track would never be conducive for reverse swing”, a player told The Indian Express.

“Is it sensible to lose an important and an attractive cricketing skill for the sake of more people in the stands?”

A senior member of the Indian camp

So, India’s pace attack comprising Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will enjoy the early swing, which will be more than usual but they will surely miss reversing the ball.

With the Indian pacers devoid of reversing the pink ball, they will be short of their most potent weapon in the Indian conditions.

Another concern with the lacquer is how the ball behaves after the polish wears off.

“For some reason, once the lacquer goes off, the ball tends to stop swinging less. So even the extra swing that is being talked about with the pink ball is not going to last too long…may be, the first 20 overs. Then what happens?”, the player said.

As far as spin is concerned, since more than half of the day’s game would be played under lights due to the late start, the dew factor will come into effect and will affect the ball’s behaviour. A wet ball will get softer and that will be a headache for the spinners.

The Kolkata Test will see an early start around 1 pm, instead of the usual 2.30 pm or 3 pm, to counter the dew factor but it will not be of much help.

Out of the 14 Day-Night Tests played till now, 7 have been played in Australia, where most of the day’s play takes place in sunlight. Only the last session is when the dew comes in, if at all. But in India the situation is completely different, where Test are mostly played in winter, where evening sets in early and greater portion of the day’s play happening under light and with the dew.

Going into the landmark Test, the Indian team will keep an open mind for sure but if their worst fears turn out to be true then, in future, India might have to need to make a compromise as far as their bowling strength is concerned when they play a Day-Night Test in India.