The Dukes ball was in focus yet again during the second day of the third India vs England Test at Lord's. It saw India captain Shubman Gill get into an argument with the umpires while Mohammed Siraj was also unhappy. Just a couple of overs into the second day on Friday, India complained about the Dukes ball, which was around 10 overs old. The umpire tried to put the ball through the hoop, but it didn't go through. India captain Shubman Gill was seen having an animated chat with the umpire, possibly expressing his discontent with the replacement ball. Even in the drinks break, Gill appeared to be livid during his conversation with the umpire.
The persistent issue with the ball continued when, 48 deliveries later, the ball required changing yet again. Even before the third contest, the ball-change trend was evident during the first two Tests. Broad believes that the constant change of the ball due to the loss of shape indicates that the Dukes "have a problem".
"Even from here you can see that is not a 10-overs old ball, that is like a 20-overs old ball. If this would have happened in India... where if there were not enough balls similar to the ones replaced, the British Media would have certainly made a big deal out of it," Sunil Gavaskar said on air.
Former England pace stalwart Stuart Broad believes it is "unacceptable" that the ball is being changed quite frequently.
"The cricket ball should be like a fine wicketkeeper. Barely noticed. We are having to talk about the ball too much because it is such an issue, & being changed virtually every innings. Unacceptable. Feels like it's been 5 years now. Dukes have a problem. They need to fix it. A ball should last 80 overs. Not 10," Broad wrote on X.
Dukes owner Dilip Jajodia wants the “superstars of the game” to show more patience and be more reasonable in their approach towards the controversial subject. Speaking to Jajodia on the sidelines of the third Test, said his company with history dating back to the 18th century is open to making improvements on the ball keeping in mind the unusually hot weather in the UK and demands of the modern game where batters are pounding the ball with rather heavy bats.