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Pink ball gives game new dimension: Ashwin

Amlan ChakrabortyAAP
Ravichandran Ashwin says the debate over the pink ball's introduction shows the beauty of cricket.
Camera IconRavichandran Ashwin says the debate over the pink ball's introduction shows the beauty of cricket.

Batting collapses are a routine affair in pink-ball Tests and the trend will continue until batsmen get used to the novelty, says India's spin spearhead Ravichandran Ashwin.

India won the third Test against England inside two days after 30 wickets tumbled in five sessions on a turning track in Ahmedabad. Joe Root's side collapsed for 81 in their second innings, and neither side reached 150 runs in the match.

In their previous day-night Test three years ago, England were bundled out for 58 by New Zealand, while India wilted for a record-low of 36 in their last pink-ball match in Australia in December.

"If you look at the larger picture of Test ticket, you might say these are just one-off occasions, but these are regular affairs in pink-ball Tests," Ashwin told a video conference on Saturday.

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"Everybody has been conditioned to playing with the red ball and now all of a sudden they've brought in the pink ball, and the pink ball is bringing in new dimensions to the game.

"It's about adapting. You play more and more and obviously get used to it. The players are going to adapt better."

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The off-spinner compared it with how players adjusted to the white ball in limited-overs cricket.

"Initially, the white ball was doing a lot more, now it literally does nothing. So that's how this format will also evolve. Anything new is going to throw a lot of challenges, but that's the beauty of the sport."

Several former England players questioned the suitability of the Ahmedabad pitch after the Test ended within two days, but Ashwin said it was all about the ball.

"What about all the three pink-ball Test matches that we played? Every one has ended within three days," said the spinner.

"When somebody throws an opinion out there about a surface, maybe they haven't played the pink-ball Test matches, so they do not understand this facet of the game," he added.

"I don't see any of the players coming in from England having an issue with the surface. What makes a good surface? Who defines this? Seam on the first day, then bat well, then spin on the last two days? Come on, who makes all these rules? We need to get over it."

Ahmedabad also hosts the fourth and final Test from Thursday.

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