‘Durability key to success of pink ball trial’ – WV Raman

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WV Raman, the former India batsman and coach of India Green, has said playing with the pink ball will test the adaptability of players as they enter a relatively less-trodden territory. In what will be a maiden first-class match in India with a pink ball, India Green will take on India Red in the Duleep Trophy opener, beginning on Tuesday in Greater Noida.

Raman felt it was difficult to form an opinion of the ball after just one practice session, but said players would be a “lot wiser” after the first game. “One thing is the visibility of the ball is going to be good. So I don’t think that is going to be a problem,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “But, in the match, there is a possibility that the breeze can be on and off which means the ball sometimes can swing, sometimes not swing. Even while fielding the ball might swirl a bit [for] the tall catches, sometimes it may not swirl. You never know.”

While the pink ball has piqued the curiosity of players and fans, the BCCI’s ambition of staging a day-night Test with a pink ball during a long home season hinges heavily upon the successful trial of the ball during the tournament. Raman said the durability of the pink Kookaburra ball in Indian conditions would be a big factor in determining its success.

“The one big challenge is to see how long the ball lasts in our conditions,” he said. “We have not seen a lot of wear and tear if there is a whole lot of dew and moisture in a day-night four or five-day game. That means the wear and tear that you expect on the last and penultimate days of a five-day game may not be there.

“There are a lot of unknowns. One thing for …

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