Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin unhappy with SG ball

Even in 2018 during the Tests against West Indies, Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav had said bowling with the SG ball in home conditions was difficult as it was getting soft too soon.

India's Ashwin and Virat Kholi celebrate the dismissal of England's Rory Burns during the 4th day of the first test match at MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai. (Photo | PTI)

CHENNAI: After Ravichandran Ashwin called the SG ball used for the first Test as 'bizarre', captain Virat Kohli too was critical of the ball on Tuesday saying the team was not 'pleased' with the ball that went soft too soon. Before the Test, reports emerged that a new dark version of the SG balls will be used for series as the makers said they have made few changes after receiving feedback from the Indian players. But right through the Test, the Indians have appeared unhappy with the ball.

The issue around the SG ball isn't new. Even in 2018 during the Tests against West Indies, Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav had said bowling with the SG ball in home conditions was difficult as it was getting soft too soon. It came on the back of several complaints from Ranji Trophy where the balls were changed multiple times. The makers took the feedback and had reportedly addressed those issues.

But on a flat Chepauk surface, the thread of the hand-stitched SG ball, appeared to come off way sooner than expected. The Indian team management believes the nature of the pitch too had a role to play as it never went out of shape unlike before. But there are concerns that it got soft way sooner than expected as they believe a clear picture would emerge only by the end of the series.

Right through the Test, television cameras picked visuals of the thread coming out but never did the umpires deemed it bad enough to change the ball. But one thing was evident. Both spinners and pacers found it hard to get wickets the moment the ball got soft. Out of the 40 wickets that fell in Chennai, 26 batsmen were dismissed when the first and second new ball was less than 30 overs old.

“The quality of the ball, honestly as well, wasn't something that we were very pleased to see. Because that's 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 that any Test side could be prepared for,” said Kohli, who in the past had suggested Dukes ball won't be a bad option to use in India.

Though Ashwin picked up six wickets in the second innings, the off-spinner was critical of the SG ball, especially the same and believed the pitch could have possibly played a role. “This game, the ball was pretty bizarre for us, because I've never seen an SG ball tear through the seam like that before. It could well be a combination of how hard the pitch was the first two days. Even in the second innings after the 35th-40th over, the seam started to peel off. It was quite...it was bizarre. 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."

With Kohli and Ashwin openly criticising the ball, Paras Anand, the marketing director of SG, said they haven't received any complaint from the BCCI as yet.