IND vs BAN | Shine and wetness of pink ball will hinder reverse swing, believes Wriddhiman Saha
BCCI
Wriddhiman Saha has opined that pink ball, given the extra lacquer and the dew factor, won’t reverse swing but believes that the skilful Indian bowlers will still be deadly. Saha has also voiced his concern about slip cordon’s visibility during the twilight period against the white sightscreen.
The excitement and speculations are on a peak as we are just two days away from the historic maiden day-night Test of the country as inputs about the behaviour of the pink ball and its visibility pour in from all directions. As team India gears up for the historic encounter at the Eden Gardens, grass on the pitch and the ground conditions under the lights still remain quite a mystery.
According to reports, at least 6 mm of grass is expected on the pitch as the outfield is supposed to be a carpet of grass. But all these majors will hinder the weathering out of the pink cherry and hence wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha has opined that reverse swing isn’t something he is looking forward to.
"I also think that there's less chance of reverse swing in this game,” Saha told ESPNCricinfo. "Because of the shine and the wetness. But our bowlers are quite skilled so we have to wait and see."
Saha, who played the CAB Super League final at the very venue where the match is scheduled back in 2016 along with Mohammed Shami, admitted that he doesn’t remember how the dew played out 3 years ago. But he did comment that with Shami’s given form, the state of the ball won't be a concern for him as he has the ability to adapt to the conditions.
"The ball is not really the factor for Shami, and even the [other fast bowlers]. He has been consistent, and deadly with his reverse swing. We still need to see what happens in the match but given his form, the ball doesn't matter."
Barring batting and bowling, the pink ball does have its anomalies while on the out-field. The ball is slippery due to its extra lacquer while it travels faster than the conventional red ball both off the bat as well as in the outfield.
While the visibility has been a problem that has been raised by the whole cricket fraternity, Saha talked about a different aspect of it. While all the talks have been centered around the difficulties that the batsmen will be facing, Saha expressed his concern about the visibility in the slip cordon and also about the colour of the sightscreen.
"There is black backdrop for the white ball so we have to see how different a white backdrop is going to be," Saha said. "If the background isn't clear for the white ball, it can be difficult to pick for the keeper and slips. With the white ball there's still the feeling that this is a white ball even when its old. I am not sure how different it is going to be with the pink ball.
"[The biggest challenge] is going to be the slip cordon. There will be more chance of the ball coming to us in a Test match than ODIs or T20s."
