India cricket team have reportedly expressed displeasure over the ball-change protocol followed by the umpires in the ongoing IND vs ENG Test series. This comes as the latest addition to the list of controversies that have erupted in the course of the five-match Test series. Earlier, the Dukes ball owner had vowed to amends after there was widespread outrage over the frequent the balls going out of shape leading to frequent changes.
Were India duped in IND vs ENG 3rd Test?
As per The Indian Express, the Indian team was handed a ball that was 30-35 overs old in the 1st innings at Lord’s when the ball had gone out of shape after just 10 overs. While the rules state that the replacement needs to be as old as the previous ball, the report states that the umpires told the Indian team that there were no balls in their stock which were 10 overs old. The Indian team reportedly said that they were handed a disadvantage when they got a softer and older replacement instead of a harder one.
“At Lord’s, after about 10 overs, the Dukes ball lost its shape, something that has been happening so often in the series. The ball failed to pass through the rings that the umpires carry on the field to check if the ball is uniformly spherical. However, the umpires didn’t have a ball that was 10 overs old, so the Indian team at a crucial moment of the match got a ball that was 30-35 overs old,” said an Indian team official.
The report further claims that the Indian team had asked the umpires to give them the 10-over old ball that had gone out of shape, on receiving the replacement. However, the request was declined by the officials.
“When you ask for a ball change, you aren’t told about the age of the replacement you will be getting. At Lord’s, we weren’t told that the replacement would be 30 to 35 overs old. If we were told, we would have continued with the deformed ball that was used for 10 overs. The ICC needs to intervene. This rule needs to be changed,” he said.
The third Test at Lord’s brought the issue to boiling point, with five ball changes during England’s first innings alone. India’s second new ball was replaced within 10.2 overs on Day 2, prompting an angry reaction from Shubman Gill.
“The ball is getting out of shape too much. That is something I’ve never seen,” vice-captain Rishabh Pant had said earlier. “It is definitely irritating for the players because every ball plays differently.”
