Firm Message Sent To Shubman Gill, Jofra Archer Over Ball Change Drama: "Umpires Are..."

The third Test between India and England at Lord's has been dominated by the ball-changing saga, which was headlined by Indian captain Shubman Gill's frustration on Day 2. Gill cut a livid figure, complaining about the second new ball and thereafter even more so about the replacement ball. On Day 3, the frustration shifted to the England camp, with visuals showing Jofra Archer asking for the ball to be replaced. Former England captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton opined that players should firmly be kept out of the ball-changing drama, and the decision should solely be on the umpires.

Having resumed play on Day 3 with 43 overs completed in the Indian innings, it wasn't long before Archer was urging the umpires to pass the ball through the ring gauge, much to the irk of Hussain and Atherton.

"Here you go Ath, just to wind you up," said Hussain on commentary, seeing Archer complain to the umpire.

"Here we go Ath, just to wind you up" pic.twitter.com/WfR2StcFTK

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"I think we both agreed that this should be the umpire's domain. The umpires are the ones who should determine whether the ball is fit to play. Keep the players out of it," replied Atherton.

"Absolutely! They've got the rings in their pockets. A wicket or a drinks break, you check the ball. Take the players completely out of it. The players are trying to get the ball changed because this one is doing nothing," Hussain agreed.

Jofra Archer marked his long-awaited return to Test cricket by taking a wicket with just his third ball as England hit back against India at Lord's on Friday.

The express fast bowler had suffered more than four years of injured-induced exile since the last of his 13 Tests.

But on the Lord's ground where he helped England win the 50-over 2019 World Cup before making a dramatic Test debut, with an Archer bouncer concussing Australia's Steve Smith during that season's Ashes, the 30-year-old Archer was soon back in the old routine.

Yashasvi Jaiswal had launched India's reply to England's first-innings 387 with a first-ball cut for four off Chris Woakes.

But next over Archer struck with just his third ball when he produced a 90 mph full-length delivery that squared up Jaiswal, who could only nick to Harry Brook at second slip as he fell for 13.

Archer roared in celebration as he ran towards Shoaib Bashir at square leg, with the often restrained crowd at Lord's erupting in raucous cheers.

With AFP inputs

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