Published: Jan 25, 2016, 03:18 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 25, 2016, 03:18 PM (IST)
Adelaide: The imbalance between bat and ball witnessed during the recently-concluded India-Australia ODI series has prompted India’s Team Director Ravi Shastri to ask for white kookaburra balls with broader seam to help the bowlers a bit more. An unprecedented 3159 runs were scored in the five-match series with 11 centuries hit by batsmen from either sides. Questioned on what can be done to have more balance between bat and ball, Shastri said: “The best way would be if there was more happening with the ball. Maybe we need balls (white kookaburra) with bigger seams, as they would help swing and get some turn as well. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: 1st T20I match, India vs Australia, 2015-16
“Bats are getting bigger and something has to be looked into as far as the cricket ball is concerned if you want a better match up between batsmen and bowlers in ODIs,” Shastri signed off. Earlier Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar had said that the pink ball should be used in One-day cricket to make it more competitive since white ball leaves nothing for the bowlers. High-scoring matches have become the norm and even a score in excess of 300 is not considered safe these days. In the Perth ODI, India scored 309 for three but hosts Australia easily overhauled the target.
“The white ball does nothing for bowlers. I actually call it a ‘nothing doing ball. What could be interesting is that with the success of pink ball it may used in limited over cricket to even the balance between bat and ball,” Gavaskar had said.
