India and England players have raised concerns over the quality of the Dukes ball being used in the ongoing Test series. The second match at Edgbaston saw the red cheery going out of shape far too soon, prompting visuals of players from both sides asking the umpire to change the ball.
On Day 2 of the ongoing third Test at Lord’s, Indian captain Shubman Gill was seen arguing with the umpires over the poor quality of the changed ball.
Amidst the outrage, India’s star batter Jasprit Bumrah refused to make controversial comments regarding the frequent Dukes ball changes.
Notably, Bumrah had picked up three wickets in 14 deliveries, but after the ball change, the visitors failed to get any assistance from the pitch, and Brydon Carse and Jamie Smith propelled England past the 350-run mark.
The ball was then changed again, 48 deliveries after the previous change. As a result, the Dukes ball drew backlash from all corners.
England also requested a ball replacement in the final session, but the ball passed through the hoop test and remained in play.
In the post-day presser, Bumrah chose to maintain a diplomatic stance when questioned about the repeated ball changes.
"The ball changes, I don't really control that. Obviously, I don't want to lose out on money because I work very hard and play a lot of overs. So, I don't want to say any controversial statements and get my match fees deducted. But we were bowling with the ball that we were given. And that's how it is. We can't change it. We can't fight it. Sometimes it goes your way. Sometimes you get a bad ball. That's how it is," Bumrah told reporters.
Having taken just a single wicket on Day 1 of the Lord’s Test, Jasprit Bumrah rocked England on Friday morning with the wickets of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes.
The star pacer dismissed comeback man Jofra Archer for his fifth wicket - his 15th instance of picking up a five-wicket haul in the traditional format of the game. It was Bumrah's 13th fifer in 35 away Tests, thus surpassing Kapil Dev's record of 12 in 66 matches.
After the first day's play, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy had highlighted Bumrah's influence on the team, citing that they follow his guidance.
In response, Bumrah quipped: "Sir, first, that answer is a lie. He's not asked me anything. But the other thing is that these youngsters are very confident. And they don't need a lot of guidance or information. Whenever and whatever capacity they need me, I'm right there to help them out, and I share my experiences and what I learned in the previous tours over here."
Bumrah also opened up on his approach to mentoring younger players. "So that's how as simple as I am trying to keep them. I'm not trying to jump in into every conversation, give them too much information, try to tell them to do things like I do because that's not how it will work. Because my technique is different. My way of bowling is different, and my way of handling things will be different. And so it will be different for them. But if anything they require or any assistance they require, I try to help to the best of my capacity."
