Dukes Ball criticism grows in ENG vs IND series; Manufacturer responds ahead of Lord’s Test

The ongoing England vs India Test series has not just witnessed top-class cricket but also growing criticism surrounding the Dukes ball. After England took the opening match at Leeds, India stormed back with a thumping 366-run win at Edgbaston to level the series 1-1. 

However, a recurring concern from both sides has been the rapidly deteriorating condition of the balls being used.

Across both Tests, players and captains were seen repeatedly requesting ball changes from on-field umpires, claiming the Dukes balls were going soft too early. Even after India’s dominant victory in Birmingham, captain Shubman Gill did not hold back his views.

Gill expressed frustration despite the win: “I think more than the wicket, maybe the ball is out of shape very quickly. It gets soft very quickly. I don’t know what it is, whether it is wickets or whatever. It is difficult for the bowlers. It is very difficult to get a wicket in such conditions, when there is nothing there.”

Dukes manufacturer responds to criticism

Ahead of the Lord’s Test starting July 10, The Indian Express spoke with Dilip Jagjodia, the manufacturer of the Dukes cricket ball, about the mounting concerns. 

“A cricket ball is also supposed to go soft over a period of time, that’s why you get a new ball at 80 overs. But you know, we live in an impatient world. So after 30 overs, if they haven’t got whatever they’ve received – the number of wickets – they’re looking to change the ball with the hope that the new ball they get hold of will be harder. But at the end of the day, there have been results in this series. There have been high scores, so the batsmen were not disadvantaged and India took 20 wickets. What else can the ball do? The game also lasted for five days,” he said.

On whether there’s a balance between soft and hard manufacturing, Jagjodia stressed the importance of adhering to the game’s laws.

“If I made a really hard ball, it would have broken bats. That’s the problem, we have to be careful. If people are adventurous players, they might be tempted to do it. That would be disastrous. The laws of the game are that the ball has to deteriorate over 80 overs. So the ball has to play 80 overs, it gradually gets worse. You can’t suddenly come after 20 overs and say, this ball is not doing what I want or what it does. If there is something genuinely wrong, then it has the option to change it,” he stated.

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