Harbhajan Singh explains how pink ball will be beneficial for wrist spinners than finger spinners

After annihilating Bangladesh in the first Test at Indore, Virat Kohli and his troops are set to lock horns with the ‘Tigers’ at the iconic venue of Eden Gardens. India steamrolled Bangladesh in the first Test by registering the victory in only three days. When both the side meet for the second Test in Kolkata, it will be an uphill task for the visitors to edge past a strong Indian side.

Apart from the encounter, one crucial change has drawn a lot of attention ahead of the Test match. The Test is scheduled to be the first-ever day-night Test in the subcontinent. Moreover, the match will be played with the pink ball instead of the traditional red one. 8 of the 12 Test-playing nations have had a stint with the pink ball. Pink balls will be used in place of red balls for better visibility under lights. India are the only major Test-playing nation to have not played a day-night Test while Bangladesh, too, will also be making their debut with the pink ball.

Ahead of the historic Test, India’s veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh has opined that wrist spinners could be more effective with the pink ball as compared to finger spinners. Kuldeep Yadav, who has delivered impressive spells in ODIs, was not selected to show his forte with the pink ball. However, Harbhajan did not want to talk on the selection matter.

“Wrist spinners will have one advantage if you see because it’s going to be very difficult to pick the seam (with black stitches) of the pink ball,” said Harbhajan as quoted by IndiaToday.

“Well, that’s the team management’s call and I can’t comment. But then Bangladesh need to play the Indian pacers on the seamer-friendly track before spinners are fully operational,” he added.

Wrist spinners are difficult to pick: Harbhajan Singh

Kuldeep Yadav has emerged as an effective choice for his side during the 2016 Duleep Trophy when the pink ball was incorporated in the game Harbhajan also explained how wrist spinners will have an upper hand over finger spinners with the pink ball. “When a finger spinner bowls, the ball is released with a seam so that there is turn and bounce. When you are bowling the googly, the seam will be scrambled and very difficult to pick,” he explained.

However, Harbhajan tagged Muttiah Muralitharan as someone who can be effective with the pink ball. Muralitharan, who was known for his off-break and doosra, is regarded as one of the most successful bowlers to have graced the game. Despite being a finger spinner, Muralitharan used to release the ball with a scrambled seam, making it difficult for batsmen.