Visibility & Hardness of Ball Make Indian Players Wary of Future Pink Ball Tests: Report

India may have won their first Pink Ball Test at a canter against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in less than three full days but members of the team aren’t particularly happy and are understood to be in favour of opposing it on away tours, the Indian Express reported.

The players are concerned about the visibility factor and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly is likely to be made aware of it soon.

Virat Kohli and co were initially opposed to Pink ball cricket and eventually agreed, but having had their experience they aren’t in a mood to take chances against stronger teams.

“We felt sighting the ball was an issue. Apart from visibility, the ball was also too hard. Look at how Bangladesh batsman got hit; it was a challenge to sight the ball even during fielding. Any bowler who can bowl 140 kph plus will be tough to handle. Look at what Indian pacers did. The ball travelled faster than the regular red ball and under lights, the sighting was an issue to be honest,” a member of the Indian team management said.

There was no problem in gripping the ball but the sighting and the hardness was a problem, it was felt.

A member of the Indian team also conceded that the ball was too hard, an opinion Bangladesh also shared.

“Yes, it’s too hard. Like a hockey ball, if you know what I mean. Something is not right with the way it feels in your hand,” a player said. “It would be silly if we go ahead with pink ball Tests in future,” he said.

All that aside, the team management’s other sticking factor is the makers of the ball, especially the Kookaburra ball which doesn’t swing once the ball gets a touch old and especially if there is dew.

India play two Tests in New Zealand early next year and the hosts are likely to push for a pink-ball Test.

India plays a full Test series in Australia later in the year too and Tim Paine made it clear that they’d like a pink ball Test.

Paine said: “We’ll certainly try and we’ll have to run that by Virat (Kohli). We’ll get an answer from him at some stage I’m sure. That’s where we like to start our summer and it has been for a long long time except for last summer. We’ll ask Virat and see if we can get his permission to play here and maybe even get a Pink-ball Test if he’s in a good mood.”