IND vs ENG: Pink Ball Lacquer Comes Into Sharp Focus As Grass On Pitch Shaved Off

Slowly but surely, the grass on the pitch of the reconstructed Motera stadium has been shaved off over the last four days going by the images posted by the England team's media wing, leaving it on

Meerut-based SG manufactures balls for Test cricket in India, besides domestic tournaments. "On the red ball, however, there are no coats of color. Only the leather is dyed red. After that only lacquer is applied to give it shine," Anand said.

While the pink ball's shine generally lasts for 20-25 overs, the red ball's shine on a similar wicket lasts for only 10-15 overs, he says. It means that with the pink ball, the faster bowler will get a lot more overs as they will be asked to make use of the shine.

As per the guesses doing the rounds, the Motera wicket without a good amount of grass may scuff up the pink ball in much faster than 25 overs. However, that remains to be seen.

Experts have said that a fresh pink ball taken in the twilight session may last longer because of the dew which ensures the ball doesn't get as scuffed up, leading to fast bowlers bowling more overs.

Interestingly, while the manufacturing process of the three-Test ball producing companies - SG, Kookaburra, and Dukes - is different in some ways in manufacturing the red ball, the process of manufacturing the pink remains the same for all three.

They have to put layer upon layer of pigment to ensure that the pink becomes fluorescent and bright and can be sighted. It, by default, results in fast bowlers getting more overs.