Cricket commentator and author presents book to President

The new ODI rule of using two new balls from either end would adversely affect the bowlers to get the ball to reverse swing, said noted cricket commentator and author Ashis Ray while gifting his book to President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan here today.
Ray has come out with a book on match-by-match World Cup history from an Indian perspective, 'Cricket World Cup: The Indian Challenge', which former India cricketer Madan Lal presented to President Pranab Mukherjee in presence of the author.
As a member of BBC's Test Match Special commentary team, Ray covered the 1979 and 1983 World Cups, including commentating the final of the latter event, and he said the game has undergone a lot of change over the years.

"The new ODI rule seems interesting. While the use of two new balls is expected to assist the bowlers but it might not be as effective in reverse swing in the later part of the innings as the ball would be just 25 overs old," explained Ray.
A foreign correspondent in London since 1977, Ray feels the condition of pitches and the willow's thickness can make even a tailender look good with the bat.
"A lot of money has come into it, and the game has become extremely glamorous. It is undoubtedly has got titled in batsmen's favour. The condition of the pitches couple with thickness of the bat has enabled the tailenders also to hit the bowlers for huge sixes and fours," he observed.

The President, meanwhile, hailed Lal, one of the heroes of the Indian side that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup, recalling how the medium-pacer turned the match in India's favour by getting the marauding Viv Richards out in the final of the marquee event at Lord's.
"Indira ji (Indira Gandhi) was the Prime Minister at that time and I was the finance minister. It was late at night in India when the 1983 final World Cup match was on. I was working in my residential office when I got a call from Mrs Gandhi and she told me to leave work and follow the cricket match like every other Indian," narrated Mukherjee after receiving the book.

"It was a proud moment and it changed the game forever. I had the privilege to meet the team after they came back to India with the trophy," he added.