Ravi Shastri rips into the umpires as the Dukes continues to trouble on Day 3 at Lord's

Batting on a pitch that offers little assistance to bowlers and with a ball that loses its shape a tad too early is hardly troublesome. That perhaps explains why Joe Root, at the end of Day 2 of the third India vs England Test, downplayed the erratic behaviour of the Dukes. The cherry had the bowling camp, India, in this case at Lord's, visibly frustrated. Shubman Gill even engaged in an animated chat with the umpire, unhappy with the replacement balls provided for the deteriorated one. Root, however, played down the issue, stating that frequent ball change requests waste time and emphasising the importance of showcasing skill by adapting to conditions. Still, the trouble with the Dukes persisted when it was England’s turn to bowl.

The Dukes ball remains erratic on Day 3 of the India vs England Test at Lord's

The Dukes ball has increasingly become a point of contention in the ongoing India vs England Test series. Players and experts are consistently voicing dissatisfaction over its inconsistent performance and rapid deterioration. Traditionally, the new ball is expected to aid fast bowlers, but this series has seen teams frequently asking for early replacements. The requests have been forced due to the ball softening, going out of shape, or behaving erratically.

On Day 3 at Lord’s, another such disruption occurred when England asked for a ball change during the middle of a session. Interestingly, the request came immediately after a scheduled drinks break, raising questions about timing. The delay stretched to over seven minutes as umpires carefully sorted through several replacements before eventually handing one over to Chris Woakes. Ian Ward, on commentary at the time, voiced his displeasure at how the situation was handled. He questioned why the change hadn’t been initiated during the drinks interval, noting that unnecessary time was being lost.

“Here we go again. Another ball change. I've to say, this is ridiculous. If they decide to change the ball, why was that not decided at the start of the drinks break? We waited for the entirety of the drinks break. They should be playing again now. Now they are going through the entire procedure. This process could've started right at the start of the drinks break,” Ward said.

Joining him in the commentary box, Ravi Shastri didn’t hold back either. He slammed the lack of foresight, questioning the umpires’ “common sense” and even suggesting they may have simply “forgotten” to swap the ball earlier. Earlier on Day 2, the ball had India frustrated as it lost shape after only 10 overs in use. It remains to be seen whether the issue with the Dukes snowballs into a defining chapter of the ongoing India vs England series.

“I couldn't agree more. It's common sense, it's basic. It's hard to explain. The case is, did they forget? What's quite amazing is that they checked five balls and all five of them didn't go through the ring. So, why have a box in the first place?” said Shastri.