The veteran Indian wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha brushed aside concerns about the challenges posed by the pink ball for the Indian bowlers like Mohammed Shami who, according to him, can be trusted to come good irrespective of the ball’s color or the nature of the surface.
India will be locking horns with Bangladesh in their maiden Day-Night Test starting at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday. Shami had a 7-wicket haul in the first Test as the Indian pacers collectively scalped 14 wickets when the hosts defeated the visitors by innings and 130 runs in Indore.
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Talking to the reporters ahead of the Kolkata Test, Saha said, “With the form, they (Shami, Ishant Sharma, and Umesh Yadav) are in, the pink ball is not a factor. Especially (Mohammed) Shami, he can be deadly on any wicket. He has pace and is able to extract reverse swing. We are yet to see the movement of the pink ball. But the color of the ball won’t matter with the current form of our pacers.”
A handful of Indian players, including Bengal’s Shami and Saha, have had experience with the pink ball in domestic cricket but the wicketkeeper pointed out that it was a Kookaburra.
Talking about eth same, Saha said, “The only change is the color of the ball. It’s made differently. There’s also a change in the timing and picking the ball a bit difficult in the twilight. It may help the pacers but will be challenging for the batsmen.”
The Indian wicketkeeper also seemed concerned about the color of the sightscreen which would be white.
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Saha elaborated, “In white-ball cricket, we have a black background and the feel remains the same even after it gets old. But here we have to see the backdrop. If it’s not clear, it will be challenging for the wicketkeeper as well. I stand near the slip fielders only. Our pacers at times deliver with a wobbly seam position. I will face the same challenge as them (slip fielders). But we have to accept the conditions offered to us. It’s the way forward.”
