The day-night Test is seen by many as the future of Test cricket. While the format has received a lot of support the pink ball which is used to play the day-nighter is widely debated. Ever since its inception, the ball has been surrounded by a lot of issues, most notably the playing conditions to suit the pink ball and its durability. The cricketing world has been divided into two parts over the debate and now left-arm Pragyan Ojha has expressed his reservation over the much-debated ball.
Talking to the Times of India, the Indian spinner remarked that it is still early days to predict the nature of the ball.
“It’s too early to say much about it. We played just one tournament (Duleep Trophy) in the country and much needs to be done to make it suitable for the conditions here,” Ojha said.
Ojha, who played for India Green in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy, said that he was finding it tough to grip the ball, as a result he was not able to spin the ball as much as he wanted.
“The pink ball has to be improved so that there’s a right balance between bat and ball. As a spinner, I had found it very difficult to grip the ball in the first match.This meant that we were not able to spin the ball much and that was to the advantage of the batsmen,” the spinner said.
“Spin has been our strength and if spinners are not able to generate turn with the pink ball than that it is a cause for worry. The other thing is reverse swing which is another big factor on flat pitches here.
Ojha said that dew is another concern for the ball.
“The other problem was the dew factor, especially in the sub-continent. Hence, I feel there is still some time to go before we can play a day-night Test in India. The players need more exposure to the conditions and playing with the pink ball. Even in Australia, a lot of matches were played on the domestic circuit before they played the historic first Test,” he said.
Meanwhile, the 30-year old, who has so far played 24 Tests for India, said that he is still eyeing a comeback to the national team.
” Age is not a key factor but performance and form is. Last year Ashish Nehra made a comeback and now the selectors have recalled Gautam Gambhir, so I believe that if a player performs consistently then he will get a chance.
“It’s a very long Test season at home and very important one for me too. I am working hard on my game and looking forward to doing well and knock the Indian doors again,” Ojha opined.