Credit: BCCI/X
The second day of the third Test match between England and India is currently underway at Lord’s in London. The day started with early wickets for the fiery Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who dismissed three batters in quick succession against the England cricket team. However, once again the poor quality of the Dukes ball being used in the Test match drew everyone’s attention after it had to be changed just over 10 overs. The ball had completely lost its shape and due to which the ball was changed by the umpire as it was failing to pass the hoop test.
The first new ball was changed on the first day after the eighty-over mark as per the regulations, and today the second new ball was changed just after 10 overs due to it not staying in shape. However, the incident that grabbed the eyeballs of the spectators was the reaction of Shubman Gill after seeing the condition of the new ball which was brought into play by the umpire, which led to the Indian captain getting angry with the official. This incident took place on the second day just after eight overs. Ideally, the replacement ball should have been 10-overs old, but Gill felt it wasn't, which led to his displeasure.
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The quality of the new Dukes balls has become a rising concern in ENG vs IND Test series
Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj also voiced out to the umpire saying, “This is a 10-over-old ball? Seriously?” The Indian Legend Sunil Gavaskar also supported captain Gill from the commentary box saying that by looking at the ball it's already looking like it's at least 20-overs-old. However, the incident did not end there as the ball was once again changed and a third ball was introduced to the game after 98.4 overs into the match.
The quality of the Dukes ball has created major concerns for both the teams in the Test series and has sparked outrage at times. There are growing concerns that these balls are losing their shape prematurely. These balls had raised concerns during the second Test in which both the teams requested the umpires multiple times for the ball to be changed. Due to this Indian vice-captain Rishabh Pant also had to suffer with a demerit point after he threw the ball away in front of the umpire when he refused to change the ball.
