# When Test cricket started in 1877, the ball weighed five ounces; currently international balls weigh 155.9 grams to 163 grams
# The first pink ball Test was played between Australia and New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval. The match started November 27, 2015
# White balls were used for the first time in 1985 during the Benson and Hedges World Championships in Australia. Prior to that red balls were used in ODIs
Post News Network
Kolkata, June 18: Indian cricket stepped into the pink era as the Eden Gardens here became the maiden venue to host the first ever day-night (D/N) pink ball game in the country. May be it is just a four-day club game between Mohun Bagan and Bhowanipore Club in West Bengal. But the match will forever be etched in the annals of Indian cricket as it has heralded the arrival of pink ball game in India.
Talking on a sports channel, Saturday, former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who has been instrumental in bringing pink ball cricket to the country, stated that the basic human nature initially is to resist anything ‘new’. “When we get accustomed to something, we resist any change,” Ganguly said. “However, pink ball is the only way forward for Test cricket to survive. Like any artist who doesn’t want to perform in an empty auditorium, players also don’t feel inspired enough to play when the stadiums are empty. This is the best way to bring back crowds back to Test cricket.”
When Kapil Dev picked up his 432 wicket in Test cricket, he for a period of time became the highest wicket-taker in that version of the game and got his name inscribed in the record books. But then along with him, two other players also reaped benefits out of the feat, Sanjay Manjrekar of India for taking the catch which gave Kapil his 432nd wicket and Hashan Tillakaratne of Sri Lanka for being the batsman to be dismissed. Similarly in spite of not playing in any level international cricket, three players, including the son of a very prominent sports scribe, got their names inscribed forever in the history of Indian cricket.
Joyajit Basu of Mohun Bagan became the first batsman to be dismissed by the pink ball while Geet Puri (Bhowanipore) who dismissed him became the first pink ball wicket-taker in the country and Santosh Sabanayakan, the wicket-keeper (fielder) to take the catch. When the three started their careers, they couldn’t have probably imagined that they would become part of cricket folklore.
There will be never-ending debates on the pros and cons of the pink ball. But one can be sure that the new coloured cherry is here to stay. No doubts about that.
