India's bowlers were seen experimenting with two-coloured balls during their net session at Edgbaston ahead of the second Test against England, starting July 2.
This innovative training method comes after India's underwhelming bowling performance in the first Test at Headingley.
At Headingley, India's pace unit lacked discipline and failed to adapt to the surface. Despite setting a target of 371 runs, India could not trouble England as the hosts crossed the finish line comfortably with five wickets in hand.
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Why Indian Bowlers Are Using Two-Coloured Balls in Edgbaston Nets?
As the Indian bowlers were seen using two-coloured balls during their net session at Edgbaston, the visual stood out, especially after their poor bowling show in Headingley.
In the first Test, India’s bowling lacked control. They overpitched often, missed their lengths, and could not build pressure. It was clear the bowlers were not at their red-ball best.
The team management has now gone back to basics. The use of two-coloured balls is part of that reset.
Interestingly, using multi-coloured balls in training is not new. It helps bowlers focus on seam position. For India, this is especially important now, as most of the bowlers recently played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Champions Trophy 2025, two white-ball tournaments where the bowling style is very different.
India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate explained the purpose clearly.
"It’s not a new thing. All the ball manufacturers make those balls. We talk about detoxing the bowlers, just getting the very basics right. And that’s the easiest way to give you an indication. Guys have come out of a long IPL season and the filthy habits of that cricket," ten Doeschate said as quoted during a press conference on Monday.
He added that it is about preventing those "filthy" habits from affecting red-ball performance.
"We don’t want that creeping into Test cricket. So Morne (Morkel) and the bowlers just use that tool to make sure the basic fundamentals are in place. We’ve been using it for the last two weeks," he added.
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Combination Dilemma For India Ahead of Edgbaston Test
Interestingly, the Indian team had already started using the two-coloured balls before the first Test began. The idea was to clean out the habits picked up in the IPL and return to the rhythm of Test match bowling. But while the effort was there in training, the execution during the game wasn’t quite up to mark.
Now, ahead of the Edgbaston Test, there is uncertainty around Jasprit Bumrah’s availability. If he does not play, India’s bowling attack will have to find a way to pick 20 wickets without their main strike bowler. That’s a big ask, especially after how things went in Leeds and also considering India’s Test record at Edgbaston.
Also read: IND vs ENG 2025: England Announce Playing XI For Second Test, Jofra Archer Sidelined
