The Dukes ball was changed after just 63 deliveries, and then again after 48 deliveries in the same session.
The series is poised at 1-1. Rishabh Pant got a century in both innings of the first Test. Shubman Gill made the second Test his own alongside Akash Deep, who dazzled with the ball. But the talking point of the third Test isn’t any player. It has turned out to be the Dukes ball. The red cherry was changed two times in a single session, which has sparked a huge controversy in the cricketing fraternity. However, Former England skipper Nasser Hussain chipped in to give his point of view about the same.
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Hussain expressed that the Indians had no reason to go to the umpire asking for a new ball. Jasprit Bumrah was spitting fire on the morning of Day 2. Ben Stokes and Joe Root came out when the score was 251/4. But the might of India’s speedster reduced the hosts to 271/7, scalping three wickets in a span of 20 runs. He sent Stokes, Root, and Woakes back to the pavilion to dent England’s chances of a big total. However, the ball went slightly out of shape in the 91st over, just 63 deliveries after being changed. The Indians went to the umpire with the virtue of changing it, and the umpires obliged.
Watch the video where Nasser Hussain dissects India’s decision to go for a change of ball in the 91st over of the innings.
But that’s where the story began. The Indians weren’t happy with the changed ball, as they perceived it to be a lot older than the previous Dukes ball. Shubman Gill was seen relentlessly arguing with the on-field umpires about the same. Nasser Hussain expressed that the Indians should never have decided to change the ball. He said that there are only two reasons for which a ball should be changed. One, if the umpires feel that the shape of the ball has changed. And two, the bowler and captain try to get it changed in case it isn’t doing anything. Hussain also felt that teams these days tend to get too addicted to having the perfect cricket ball for 80 overs. In India’s case, the ball was doing an awful lot. Bumrah had just torn open the English middle-order, and had the visitors stayed with the same ball, they could have wrapped up the innings a lot faster.
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The manufacturers of the Dukes ball have also come into the picture amid the ongoing series. Dilip Jajodia, the manufacturer, expressed that the ball tends to become soft these days due to the game becoming fast-paced. He mentioned that the ball hits concrete pillars and wooden benches a lot more than it used to before. As a result, it is bound to lose its shape. Upon being asked about making the ball tougher, he said that he can do that if he wants to, but it will lead to a lot of injuries amongst the players. He went on to say that players want a change of balls because they aren’t getting any wickets, and not because there is something wrong with the ball. He concluded by saying that one needs to be sensible while making these kinds of decisions.
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