The first thing that comes to mind when seeing a ‘red ball’ is Test cricket. Since the first international match was played in 1877, white clothes and red balls have been the constant. The former remains the same, but the latter, well, it changes from time to time. 2564 Test matches have been played, and all but 23 of these haven’t been played with a red ball.
Practice for Pink ball Test
So when Mohammed Siraj says it’s slightly confusing when you have to go from red to pink ball, it makes sense. Growing up playing with the red cherry, a switch can’t be easy. But practice makes perfect. Siraj feels just because it’s one match, he or the team doesn’t fuss about it and are looking to improve with each passing day until they face Australia on December 6 in Adelaide.
“This pink ball has a synthetic feeling. This is different from the red ball we play with. There can be a bit of confusion due to the ball, but it’s just one match, so we just have to focus on that and practice for it, and we’ll improve day by day.” Siraj said after the India vs Prime Minister’s XI match.
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Siraj highlights difference between the red and pink ball
The pacer who bowled a tight spell (7-1-18-1) at the Manuka Oval also explained in length how the pink ball is different from the red one. As his teammates had explained yesterday, a pink ball’s seam is very hard; it offers seam movement instead of swing.
“The seam is very hard. It’s bright and quite big. The more you practice with it, the better you get. I think that with the pink ball, it’s better to bowl back of length. Because pitching it up, there’s not a lot of swing, so the more you hit the deck and get it to seam, it will be better for us. I have heard that the ball swings a lot under the lights, but I haven’t yet bowled with it under lights. So when we go to Adelaide and practice, we will try that. And the more practice we get, we’ll know more about what we have to do,” Siraj added.
India’s record in pink ball Test matches
| Result | Opposition | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Won by an innings & 46 runs | Bangladesh | Eden Gardens | 2019 |
| Lost by 8 wickets | Australia | Adelaide | 2020 |
| Won by 10 wickets | England | Ahmedabad | 2021 |
| Won by 238 runs | Sri Lanka | Bengaluru | 2022 |
