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  • India vs England: SG ball again in focus following Virat Kohli’s criticism

    The stitched-by-hand Sanspareils Greenlands (SG) ball, used for Test matches in India, is below scrutiny after the primary Test as gamers have complained in regards to the stitches on the seam coming off.
    Ball getting destroyed: Kohli
    India skipper Virat Kohli, in his post-match feedback, mentioned he was sad with the standard of the ball. “The wicket was flat and slow and the quality of the ball as well wasn’t something that we were very pleased to see because that has been an issue in the past as well. Just for the ball’s seam to be completely destroyed in 60 overs is not something that you experience as a Test side and something any Test side could be prepared for,” Kohli mentioned.
    It was weird: Ashwin
    After Day Four, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who took 9 wickets within the match, too spoke in regards to the difficulty with the ball however mentioned the hardness of the pitch might have been an element. “I have never seen an SG ball tear (get) through the seam like that. So it could well be a combination of how hard the pitch was on the first two days, even in the second innings after the 35th-40th over, the seam was getting sort of peeled off,” Ashwin mentioned. “It was bizarre, I mean, I haven’t seen an SG ball like that in the last so many years, but yeah, maybe it could be due to the pitch and the hardness of it through the centre which is making the ball get scuffed up.”
    Not the primary time
    During the two-Test collection towards West Indies in 2018, Kohli, upset with the standard of the SG ball, known as for the Dukes ball, utilized in England, to be launched in India as effectively. “To have a ball scuffed up in five overs is not something that we have seen before,” Kohli had mentioned. “The quality of the ball used to be quite high before and I don’t understand the reason why it’s gone down… The Dukes, I think, is the most suited ball for Test match cricket and if there’s a situation, I would vouch for that to be used all over the world…” Back then, Ashwin mentioned the SG ball was higher when he began enjoying home cricket. “When I started playing first-class cricket, the SG ball used to be top-notch, and you could bowl with it even after the 70th or the 80th over. The seam used to be standing up strong and straight, but it’s not the same anymore,” Ashwin had mentioned.

    Ball producers’ response
    Meerut-based SG has been supplying official match balls since 1993. SG’s advertising director Paras Anand instructed The Indian Express on Tuesday that they might hearken to what the gamers needed to say. “We have heard what the feedback is and we will work on ensuring that even if the wicket is as hard and abrasive as the Chennai wicket, the ball remains good. If the seam is tearing after 50 to 60 overs, possibly the wicket could be the reason. Every week, we test balls on different surfaces, post 50 overs, post 60 overs. We have a wicket in the factory which is a very hard one. We test it there, then there is a lab test and a field. We ensure high quality in the manufacturing process. But we will listen to the players.”
    Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane training with the ball in Chennai. (Twitter/BCCI)
    Change within the ball
    After the gamers criticised the ball in 2018, the producers have labored on high quality management. The ball used within the ongoing collection has a pronounced seam, more durable core and is a darker shade of purple – the adjustments made after speaking to the gamers.
    ‘Abrasive wicket’
    Before play on the fifth day, James Anderson, who bowled a match-winning spell, mentioned: “The wicket is so abrasive that our second new ball in India’s first innings reversed after four overs. We are not far away from reverse (swing).”

  • Pronounced seam, darker purple, more durable core: The ball for India-England Test sequence

    “The pronounced seam helps the both the fast bowler and the spinner in two ways. Firstly the higher seam gives the bowler a better grip with his fingers. And especially for the spinner, the better grip gives him ability to impart more spin on the ball. For both the quickie and spinner, when the ball with the pronounced seam hits the pitch, it will deviate more because the higher the seam, the more friction created by the ball on the surface. If you think about ball hitting the pitch with no friction created there would be no deviation. Like bowling on glass where you get no friction and the ball just skids off straight.” — Michael Holding
    An uthi hui (pronounced) seam, a darker shade of purple and a more durable core to stop the ball from changing into comfortable early within the innings on Indian outfields. The official match ball used for the Test sequence in opposition to England might be a bit totally different in nature.
    It will present ‘extra bounce’ and retain its hardness until the sixtieth over, in keeping with official ball suppliers Sanspareils Greenlands (SG).
    The ball has been criticised up to now throughout Test matches in India, even by captain Virat Kolhi and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Getting scuffed up early and shedding hardness inside the first 10 overs have been a few of the points raised by the gamers.
    “An important change is the seam. It is more pronounced now. The spinners especially wanted a seam which they can grip and thereby get more revolutions on the ball,” Paras Anand, the advertising and marketing director of SG, mentioned.
    Following suggestions from Indian gamers, together with the bowlers, the producers have improved the consistency of the hand-made ball to make it as near the end of a machine-made product.

    The hustle by no means stops 💪👌#CrewIndia getting match prepared forward of the primary #INDvENG Test at Chepauk 🙌 pic.twitter.com/tAGyMC0uZK
    — BCCI (@BCCI) February 3, 2021
    Give me (darker) purple
    The India cricketers additionally had a color choice, a darker purple.
    SG modified the dye and ‘went back’ to the color the gamers have been used to when most of them first performed home cricket.
    “They (Indian cricketers) were happier with the darker shade of red. Over a period of time, you don’t realise and you don’t see the change. So, what they felt was that the colour used to be a darker shade of red. We have gone back to that dark shade. That request came from the Indian team. I feel it is more psychological. But they believed if you use a darker colour, you get a good result. Not just one bowler, a group of bowlers has said that and they felt that the darker the leather, the more helpful it is for the bowlers. Someone gives feedback and you listen. Nobody was in favour of a lighter colour,” Anand says.
    Former India pacer RP Singh mentioned there was no science to bowlers choosing a darker shade although there’s a sample. “There is a general feeling among fast bowlers that darker the ball the more it swings. There is no science to it,” he mentioned. A distinguished seam helps in gripping the ball higher. “With a less prominent seam, it is tougher to swing the ball and you have to bang it harder, which means you have to strain much more.”
    SG has been the official provider for first-class cricket in India since 1993 and the suggestions from cricketers has prompted them to take a more in-depth have a look at their manufacturing course of.
    Ravichandran Ashwin in motion throughout India’s Test sequence in opposition to Australia final month. (AP)
    Ashwin was vocal concerning the change in nature of the SG ball up to now.
    “When I started playing Test cricket, the SG ball used to be top notch, and you could bowl with it even after the 70th or 80th over. The seam used to be standing up strong and straight. But it is not the same anymore,” Ashwin had advised the official broadcaster in the course of the residence sequence in opposition to West Indies in 2018.
    In addition to the seam being extra pronounced, the Meerut-based producers have additionally tried to handle the gamers’ concern concerning the ball getting comfortable early in an innings. Extra hardness within the core, which is product of cork, and shut high quality checks of the leather-based utilized in every batch has made the most recent model long-lasting, the corporate says.
    “Hardness will stay longer, say 50 to 60 overs. There will be something for the bowlers. The extra bounce too will help bowlers,” Anand claims.
    During the house sequence in opposition to West Indies, Kohli had known as for the Dukes ball for use for Test cricket world wide, together with in India. “To have the ball scuffed up in five overs is not something that we have seen before. The quality of the ball used to be quite high before and I don’t understand the reason why it’s gone down,” Kohli had mentioned throughout that sequence.
    He had expressed concern that the ‘soft ball’ was bringing down the affect of bowlers by 20 per cent in unforgiving Indian circumstances.
    ‘Kaizen’, the Japanese enterprise philosophy of fixed enchancment, is on the coronary heart of the method of ball improvement, Anand says.
    After speaking to the gamers in 2019, SG has been fine-tuning the manufacturing course of for 18 months and the most recent model might be near 100 per cent constant in all points and is one “players will like”, Anand provides.
    READ | England banks on India, wants largest drawcard like by no means earlier than
    Post-2018 evolution
    Former India pacer Irfan Pathan observed the evolution of the SG ball when India performed South Africa at residence in 2019.
    “I felt the seam was a little more prominent and the ball was much harder when I was doing commentary for the India vs South Africa series. I remember in the Pune game, the way the fast bowlers were bowling, it seemed like they were not bowling with an SG ball, but with a Kookaburra ball. The ball has become of better quality and lasts longer. I think because the seam is a lot more upright, you will see the fast bowlers getting a lot of help as well,” Pathan mentioned.
    Anand talks concerning the strict high quality management in the course of the course of of constructing the ball.
    “Before every batch is approved for production, the hardness of core and strength of the thread which is being used for stitching is matched to specifications. We have tried to ensure variation is as minimal as possible. It is all about training the people who stitch it (seam). They are very skilled but they just had to give that little bit extra. We have ensured stringent quality checks for a batch (500 to 1,000 balls each), be it the leather, the dye, the core. Everything is checked, batch-wise. There is so much consistency, it seems like it is machine made.”