Team India practices with revolutionary ‘The Aggot Ball’

At NCA Bengaluru, Team India went under rigorous training drills, as they prepared for the much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy. During the practice, the fast bowlers trained with a special ball known as ‘The Aggot’.

The Aggot, a patented design of moguls in cricket equipment manufacturing – Grey Nicolls – is a specially crafted leather ball intended to assist coaches and bowlers around the world to master the art of bowling. The Aggot is uniquely shaped with both lateral sides pressed into a concave shape. At 156 gms, the Aggot weighs exactly as the normal cricket ball with similar seam. Bowlers can use it like a normal cricket ball and need not alter their action or ball holding position. It has been designed by coaches to better understand the behavior of ball in the air as well its movement off the pitch.

Applicable to spin, swing and seam bowling, the Aggot helps coaches understand the science behind the ball movement after it is released from hands. Generally, the coaches observe the ball movement off the pitch and depending on the lateral movement and bounce, they determine how the ball was released from the hands.

The distinctive design of the Aggot provides comprehensive feedback to coaches on the release hand position of bowlers. Feedback derived from the Aggot unfolds the true direction of ball seam and its movement in the air, along with the rotation axis and plane of the ball while releasing. Owing to its unique design, the bowlers can rectify their incorrect ball releases as the Aggot won’t travel and bounce properly.

Team India’s Ishant Sharma and Ashok Dinda toiled hard in the nets with the Aggot balls as bowling coach John Dawes keenly observed the pacers. Whether the practice with the Aggot ball will help India in making early inroads into the Australian batting lineup, only time will tell.