Follow UsThe Dukes ball has been a bone of contention in the Test series so far, as the teams have asked for it to be replaced on numerous occasions. In fact, in the first Test, Rishabh Pant showed displeasure when the umpire did not allow for the ball to be changed, and he was fined for it.
Jasprit Bumrah, who picked up five wickets in England's first innings in the third Test at Lord's, did not want to go the same way and did not want to be fined for any controversial comments.
“And the ball changes, I don't really control that. Obviously, I don't want to lose out on money because I work very hard and bowl a lot of overs, so I don't want to say any controversial statements and get my match fees deducted. But we, we were bowling with the ball that we were given, and that's how it is that we can't change it, we can't fight it. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes you get a bad ball. That's how it is,” said Bumrah in the post-match press conference.
Shubman Gill had a heated argument with the on-field umpires when they refused to change the ball. India, as a result, lost some momentum and allowed Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse put on a 84-run stand.
Bumrah feels that the hard surfaces and the dry weather have allowed the Dukes ball to deteriorate more than usual. “More than the pitch, I feel the ball is a bit different because, on our previous tours here, the ball was never changed; it used to remain hard for a long time. Now, obviously, it's dry, it's summer — the wicket is also hard — so maybe that's why the ball is getting softer," Bumrah, who finished with 5/74, said.
"But there's quite a bit of change in that. Like, I don’t even remember in the last couple of tours if we ever got the Dukes ball changed. So that’s a bit of a difference here. And this is a hard-ball game — when the ball is hard, there is some movement here, but as soon as it gets soft, it becomes a bit more beneficial for batting. So that seems to be the major difference between the last time and this time."
India got their wish, and the second new ball was changed on numerous occasions, which allowed Bumrah to pick up three wickets in 14 balls. England batter Joe Root, who smashed his 37th Test century, believes it is high time that the players adapt to the changing ball and not make a big deal out of it.
"I don't know the ins and outs of how they make it [the Dukes ball]," Root said.
"I do know that they're handmade, so you're never going to get two balls exactly the same. I do think this summer has been a bit of an anomaly for us. We're not used to getting this much sun and this much heat and squares as hard and outfields as firm so whether that plays a part or not [I don't know].
"It's one of those things where if the balls are going out of shape, you change them and you don't make a big deal out of it. I don't think it's the end of the world. I think it adds a different dynamic to the game and you've got to be skilful enough to adapt to the changes, whether it stops swinging or starts swinging or does a little bit more."
Root also suggested of going back to the old days of getting the teams back to three reviews after 80 overs, with the demand to change the balls growing.
"I personally think that if you want to keep getting the ball changed, then each team gets three challenges every 80 overs and that's it, if you want to get it changed," Root said.
"But the rings have to be the right size, not too big.
"That would be a nice way of compromising and saying it's not all on the manufacturer. Sometimes these things happen but you can't just keep asking and wasting time and slowing the game down at the same time."
After bowling England out for 387, India ended Day 2 on 145/3, still trailing the hosts by 242 runs. KL Rahul is batting on 53, while Rishabh Pant is unbeaten on 19.