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).”