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The Indian team will be on the front foot after registering a mammoth 295-run win over the mighty Aussies in Perth and the focus now shifts to the day and night fixture.
India take on Australia in a pink ball Test at Adelaide. (Image: Screengrab)
The Indian team are preparing themselves for the pink ball challenge that awaits them in Adelaide. Ahead of the practice game in Canberra, the Indian pacers shared their experience after working with the ball which is a first for some of the bowlers.
The Indian team will be on the front foot after registering a mammoth 295-run win over the mighty Aussies in Perth and the focus now shifts to the day and night fixture.
Based on what some of the players shared, the pink ball as compared to the traditional new ball helps more with swing and also retains its shine for quite longer. This means that the batters would have to play out much longer to ensure that swing won’t be a factor taking the shine away from the ball.
Ahead of the Adelaide Test, the Indian team agreed to play a two-day game against the Prime Minister’s XI at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. But the first day’s play was washed out due to rain and both the sides agreed to play a 50-over per-side game on Day 2.
Speaking ahead of the practice game. Prasidh Krishna noted that the pink ball was slightly bigger and heavier compared to the red ball.
“I think when we picked up the pink ball, it was slightly bigger than the red ball and also the seam, the little bit that I know, is tied up, which makes it heavier, and it does give a lot more off the seam. For me, it is going to do more than the red ball, in terms of shine and also when the lights come on. Also takes away for reverse swing. As bowlers, we are also learning a few more sessions to go before the game,” Krishna said in a video uploaded by the BCCI.
Mukesh Kumar also noted that the seam on the pink ball is not so prevalent which proves to be an additional challenge for the batters.
“The seam is not visible very quickly. Some batters are there who bat after seeing the shine. But the pink ball doesn’t show from which side the shine is there. This is coming off after skidding,” he said.
“It is tough for the batters, there is a lot of bounce from the pink ball,” Akash Deep added.
The left-arm pacer, Yash Dayal felt that the ball would not offer much in terms of swing but a straight seam would mean that the ball would do things on its own.
“I have bowled to Virat and Rohit bhai, and I feel that the ball is not swinging a lot, the seam position has to be straight. If you keep the line and length intact, the ball will do things on its own,” he said.
(with IANS Inputs)
