During a Ranji Trophy match on Wednesday, the ball lost its shape and had to be changed. The condition of the ball had gone crooked in the 11th over when Bengal batted on the first day. I recent times, the SG Test ball is seemingly not living up to the standards. However, Sourav Ganguly defended its use, saying it could be an odd lot that has been creating problems.
As quoted in The Indian Express, Ganguly said, “Sometimes there could be a case that one lot (that has come this year) is not good enough. I think they (SG) will fix it. And why only SG, as Graeme Smith said (at the Jagmohan Dalmiya Memorial Lecture), Kookaburra, too, is causing problems.”
Last season, the BCCI had used the SG whites for the first time in the domestic limited-overs tournaments. But the ball received a negative feedback from the captains and coaches. On the other hand, the SG red didn’t face any criticism and during its meeting earlier this year, the Ganguly-led BCCI technical committee decided to stick with the SG ball for first-class cricket and Tests in India.
ALSO READ: Sourav Ganguly believes Wriddhiman Saha has been India’s best gloveman
But the SG red came under the scanner after the Indian skipper Virat Kohli gave a damning assessment of its quality during the recently concluded home series against West Indies. Kohli had said that the ball lost its shape in five overs is not something that we have seen before. Even Umesh Yadav also spoke about the ball going soft “after 20 overs”.
On Wednesday, a Bengal Ranji team member said the quality of the SG Test ball has gone down. He said the ball is losing its shine fast and getting soft after a few overs.
While delivering the Dalmiya lecture at Eden Gardens earlier this month, former South Africa captain Graeme Smith had laid into the Kookaburra ball. He said that the Kookaburra ball softens and does not swing for a long period of time.
When asked if the Dukes ball should be used for first-class cricket and Tests in India, Ganguly said: “It’s difficult for me to answer, as I’m not an expert on the cricket ball.” The former India captain, however, felt that despite its Englishness, the Dukes has the ability to sustain in India as well.
