Pink Test: Jury out on sighting, no reverse or turn

Sabi Hussain

Tribune News Service

Greater Noida, August 26

If the players’ feedback is anything to go by after the opening round of Duleep Trophy fixture between India Red and India Green, the pink kookaburra definitely holds a future in the sub-continental conditions. But then, the players are of the opinion that it would be too early to comment whether India as a Test playing nation is ready for the challenge.

There have been positive and negative feedbacks also. The players are looking for more opportunities with the pink ball before giving a comprehensive verdict.

On the positive side, the pink ball held its shine for longer than usual as compared to the regular red SG balls — it was shiny till 40-45 overs and started softening after that. It was coming on to the bat nicely and the bounce and carry through was good.

The initial sighting was a problem during dusk and the night time, but as the batsmen got their eyes in after negotiating the first few deliveries, shot-making became easy. India Red's Abhinav Mukund (77 and 169), Sudip Chatterjee (114), Robin Uthappa (72) and Suresh Raina (90) were among the leading run-getters. Pacers also exploited the shine as Sandeep Sharma (4/62), Nathu Singh (6/53) and Ankit Rajpoot (2/16) wreaked havoc during the first innings.

The biggest drawback of the pink ball was that it was hard to grip once the dew set in. The spinners did not sound upbeat about the pink ball as there was not much turn on offer for them due to the heavy grass coating. The dew, coupled with the shine on the ball, made their task a lot more challenging. Although Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav picked up nine-wickets, the Uttar Pradesh bowler largely relied on his drift and dip to take wickets.

The pink ball also did not offer much reverse swing after losing its seam as compared to the red SG ball.

“The pink ball has a future in India but it would be too early to say whether we are ready to host a day-night Test. As we will play more with it, we will come across different situations to know about it. It was good to play a day/night fixture but the questions remain. With the dew, the ball moved more than usual. Overall, it did not move that much in normal conditions. The reverse swing wasn't there and once the ball softened, the pacers did not have much to do. Because of the shine, the visibility wasn't a problem. It's just a matter of getting used to it,” said former India wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel.

India might lose the home advantage with the pink ball. For the pink ball to sustain, it's essential to have grass on the pitch and India generally thrives on its spin-friendly wickets.

“It's going to be a disadvantage. We will have to see how the pink ball behaves on a dry wicket with a drier outfield. We played on a green-top with a lush green outfield. I don't think an international game should be played with this much of grass. I have been playing first-class cricket for long and rarely have I come across such a wicket,” he said.

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