Watch: Gill, Siraj fume as Dukes loses shape early on Day 2 of the Lord's Test

The cherry in England keeps getting on the nerves of the guests. England put India in to bowl first in the third Test at Lord's. As the hosts treaded carefully against the Indian attack on the sluggish surface, the Dukes deteriorated quickly. Three matches into the India vs England series, and the Dukes has irritated the visitors significantly. Indian captain Shubman Gill came down hard on the quality of the ball after closing in on a massive win in the second Test at Edgbaston. However, the story seems unchanged, as Gill and pacer Mohammed Siraj threw a fit early on Day 2 of the Lord's Test, complaining about the quality of the cherry.

India vs England: Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill argue with umpire over the condition of ball on Day 2

The Dukes ball once again found itself at the centre of controversy on Day 2 of the third India vs England Test. Concerns over its quality resurfaced when India captain Shubman Gill and pacer Mohammed Siraj engaged in a visibly heated exchange with the on-field umpire regarding the condition of the ball in use. The Dukes has been noted to lose its shape quickly in the series. However, the Indian cordon seems to have hit their threshold of tolerance with the quality of the ball.

The second new ball had been taken on Day 1 of the Lord's Test after 80 overs. But early on Day 2, with just around 10 overs bowled using it, the Indian players were unhappy with how it was behaving. Siraj and Gill approached the on-field umpire complaining about the cherry. The ball was soon tested using the hoop gauge and failed, prompting the umpires to approve a replacement.

However, the replacement ball didn’t go down well either. The Indian captain, dissatisfied with the new ball, was seen animatedly questioning the umpire. At one point, he even took the ball directly from the umpire’s hands in frustration. Siraj, meanwhile, was caught on the stump mic voicing his disbelief over the condition of the ball.

"This is a 10-overs old ball? Seriously," Siraj was heard saying

"Not Every Time Ump" - The ball did change but Shubman Gill is furious about something. https://t.co/yuzRKImvFr pic.twitter.com/RS9vfXvfbu

— Kanav Bali (@Concussion__Sub) July 11, 2025

Despite their protests, the umpire stood firm and rejected Gill’s complaints, leaving the Indian camp visibly agitated over the repeated ball issues. This is not the first instance of the Indian camp complaining about the Dukes. In the opening Test at Headingley, Rishabh Pant even received an ICC sanction after he threw the ball in a fit of rage. Pant was irritated after the on-field umpire refused to change the cherry despite it having lost its shape and the bowling side constantly asking for a replacement.