After Shubman Gill's Scathing Attack At Dukes Ball, Manufacturer's Big Announcement
India captain Shubman Gill publicly criticised the Dukes ball, suggesting it gets soft too early. The ball's manufacturer has now responded.
- Dukes ball in England vs India Tests criticised for losing hardness quickly
- India and England changed the ball multiple times due to quality concerns
- Dilip Jajodia, Dukes ball owner, announced a full investigation into the issue
The Dukes ball, being used in the ongoing England vs India Test series, has come under severe criticism over its quality. At first, it was India captain Shubman Gill who raised concerns over the quality of the ball, highlighting how easily it loses its hardness. Over the course of the games, both India and England have had to change the ball on multiple occasions by bringing the quality issue in front of the umpires. Amid the Dukes ball's criticism, the company's owner has announced the decision to investigate the issue and make changes, if needed.
Dilip Jajodia, owner of British Cricket Balls Ltd, the company that manufactures the Dukes balls, told BBC Sport that his organisation would leave no stone unturned in its investigation.
"We will take it away, inspect and then start talking to the tanner, talking about all of the raw materials - everything. Everything we do will be reviewed, and then if we think some changes need to be made or tightened up, we will," said Jajodia.
India captain Shubman Gill had raised the Dukes ball issue in the press conference after his team won the second Test at Edgbaston.
"It is very difficult for the bowlers. 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," Gill had said after the match.
The Dukes balls have long been regarded as high-quality but, recently, issues have been reported with the ball, both in Test and county cricket.
The ball tends to get soft long before it should be changed after 80 overs of an innings. The situation makes it quite difficult for bowlers to take wickets.
India are trailing 1-2 in the 5-match series, with two more games to go.Â
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team