As the Pink ball Test is upon and it is going to be played in Canberra and Later Adelaide Between India vs Prime Minister’s XI and the Australian National cricket team respectively. The last time India played against Australia in a Pink ball Test Match was also played in Adelaide which ended in a dramatic fashion and remains one of the most talked-about matches in recent cricket history.
In India only the SG Test balls are used and if a match takes place in Australia, South Africa or even Sri Lanka we get to see the Kookaburra balls. When a team travels to England they get the Dukes ball. Ofcourse the nature of all these balls is different. The essential difference that stands out is the thread that is used for the red ball. For the Red ball it is white and Black for the Pink ball only to keep the contrast for the batsman. The thing to remember for the batter is the seam of the ball that which way the seam is pointing. If the seam would be vice-versa then the contrast wouldn’t be there. The other difference that you really notice is the seam. The seam of the Red ball is more pronounced as compared to Pink ball. Specifically in the Kookaburra Pink ball, the seam is flatter to the Red ball. The first time we get to see the pink ball is in 2011 between India and Kent (County Cricket).
It was just an experiment back then. It was played in Canterbury which is at the Northeastern part of England. The shine and lacquer of the pink ball is lost very early as compared to the Red ball. Even after 80 overs the red ball can still be spotted while it is very difficult to spot the Pink ball as it losses is lacquer and color.