An Indian engineering research firm has developed a cost-effective technology for producing cricket balls that can rival the Australian Kookaburras in the international market.
Narayan Prasad Mukherjee, a researcher at the Central Mechanical Engineering and Research Institution, says the technology he has developed will take care of not only the sewing alignment but also large-scale production viability.
Says Mukherjee: "We were spurred by the success of Kookaburra balls and we decided that it would be possible to develop a technology to manufacture our own kind and pose a challenge to the Australian variety."
The invention will help Indian cricket ball manufacturers to make their presence felt in the international market. The ball-producing machine costs Rs 250,000 and can produce a ball every two minutes.
"The speed at which the machine produces the balls doesn't compromise its quality or sewing. It will be possible to make tailormade balls," says CMERI chief Gopal Prasad Sinha.
The Union commerce ministry has been informed of the new technology and its commercial marketing is now under discussion.
