Anxiety made way for assurance as players of Mohun Bagan Athletic Club and Bhawanipore Club enjoyed their first experience with the pink ball on the first day of the Super League cricket tournament final at the Eden Gardens here on Saturday.
As the lacquered pink ball shone brightly during the day time and under the lights, Bhawanipore pacer Geet Puri made some interesting observations. “There was a lot of swing. The ball felt much lighter (even though it is like a regular 156 gram ball). I really enjoyed bowling with the pink Kookaburra, had much better control. Since it is a green top pitch, pacers got a lot of help but spinners did not get much assistance,” said the lanky left-armer in a television interview after the first session's play.
READ: >Pink ball's journey throughout the world
Interestingly, Puri, who captured two early wickets, said it would be difficult to extract reverse swing because of the lesser wear and tear of the pink ball. “Since both sides of the ball have retained the shine, we cannot keep the shine on one side like the red ball. I don't think it will reverse.”
After the second session, Mohun Bagan batsman Anustup Majumdar, who scored a half-century, said he did not feel much difference facing the pink ball. “It's the same as the white ball. The only difference is the colour of the ball. It is coming on to the bat nicely and visibility is not a problem.
“It is a challenging wicket to bat on as the ball is seaming a bit. But one can play shots after getting set,” said Majumdar, underlining that the players did not get any chance to practice due to rains.
Umpire Premdip Chatterjee was surprised with the behaviour of the pink ball. “We did not expect it to be so hard after 57 overs. It is perfectly visible, you can feel the seam and it looks like new one. It turned a bit from my end,” said Premdip.
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