Lucknow: With a constant aim to popularise the game of cricket, a host of innovations are introduced every year, one of them is the day-night tests with pink ball. The change has been embraced by the cricket boards all over, but has left the players in a fix.
Experienced keeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik didn’t reject the concept of India playing the Test match under the lights and with the pink ball, but has pointed out difficulties faced by the bowlers, especially spinners.
“I find a decent crowd coming to watch cricket, especially the night cricket. It is okay if that is the concept of the game, but I believe dew factor as well as the difference between the SG and Kookaburra balls are difficult for the players to handle,” Karthik told Hindustan Times on the eve of the Duleep Trophy final between India Red and India Blue here.
“Sometimes it suits the bowlers and sometimes not. The Kookaburra pink ball helps pace bowlers to swing a bit in the initial overs, but bowling a reverse swing with this is very difficult. For pink ball, you need to have good season as black seam onto it doesn’t allow the spinners to turn the ball much.”
“In India, cricket mostly depends on spin bowling and having many wickets like our spinners get with the SG ball is very difficult. This ball can only be suitable in a favourable weather,” added Karthik.
Gujarat batsman Priyank Panchal also accepted that he had to make changes in his batting style while playing with the pink ball.
“The Kookaburra ball wasn’t coming properly under the lights, and I had to make amends in my batting style,” Panchal said after hitting centuries in both the innings for India Red in the opening match here.