IND vs BAN | Unknown nature of pink ball might make officiating tricky in D/N Test, feels K Hariharan
Former umpire K Hariharan believes that officiating under lights might be really tricky for umpires in D/N Test due to the pink ball and feels that it might get very difficult during twilight. However, he believes that the problem can be tackled if the umpires assess the light situation beforehand.
History will be created on November 22 when India, led by Virat Kohli, and Bangladesh, led by Monimul Haque, will go toe-to-toe with each other at the Eden Gardens in what will be the country's first ever Day/Night Test match. The move was finalized just days after Sourav Ganguly's ascension as BCCI President and players and officials from both teams expressed their pleasure in being a part of history.
But one aspect that is still unknown heading into the Test is the potential behavior of the SG pink balls and former umpire K Hariharan feels that officiating might get tricky for the umpires based on how the ball behaves.
"It won't make much of a difference. However, it will be interesting to see how the pink ball will behave under the lights, whether it will maintain its shine or not, otherwise it would just be another regular Test game for umpires,” Hariharan told ANI, reported News18.
"We do not know how the pink ball will behave under floodlights, with the dew coming into play, the ball might not swing much and that might be a concern for the umpires," he added.
Hariharan feels that the most difficult part of the day for the umpires would be twilight, as it will be the transition phase of the day where the floodlights will slowly start to take full control. However, the former umpire also has a solution for the same and believes that the on-field umpires should visit the ground beforehand and take note of the light in order to assess the conditions better and tackle the problem.
"As I said, the twilight part would be the most tricky part of the match. According to me, the umpires should visit the ground prior to the match and have a light-o-meter to take note of the light.
"This will also help the umpires assess whether they are having trouble in seeing the ball under lights," Hariharan signed off.