'Dont want to get my match fees deducted...': Jasprit Bumrah's blunt remark on Dukes ball controversy

The Dukes ball was once again in the headlines during the second day of the Lord's Test between India and England. The controversy erupted after the new ball that India got provided no help to the bowlers whatsoever and saw England batters gain the upper hand following Jasprit Bumrah's dominance during the first few overs of the day which saw him pick up three big wickets.

Gill was involved in a heated argument with the umpire

India captain Shubman Gill wasn't a fan of the new ball at all and made his feelings known to the umpire in a heated exchange. Mohammed Siraj also wasn't shy in arguing with the umpire regarding the condition of the ball and even gave a sarcastic remark stating, "This is 10-overs old ball? Seriously?"

However, the umpire refused to entertain any of the Indian players' protests and the play went on. Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse's 84-run partnership proved to be highly-important for England as it saw them go past the 350-run and post a respectable first-inning total of 387 before getting bundled out in the second session.

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Following the conclusion of the day's play, Bumrah was asked to give his opinion on the Dukes ball controversy in the post-day press-conference. However, the pace spearhead stated that nothing can be done to improve the condition of the ball.

"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 bowl a lot of overs. So, I don’t want to say any controversial statements and get my match fees deducted," Bumrah told the reporters.

“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," he added.

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Meanwhile, Bumrah was once again the star performer for India in the bowling department as his five-wicket haul massively helped the visitors in bundling out the Three Lions. In reply, KL Rahul's unbeaten fifty and Karun Nair's gritty inning of 40 helped the Men in Blue wrap up Day 2 on 145/3, trailing the hosts by 242 runs. However, they also ended up losing the big wicket of Gill cheaply for 16 runs. The action will resume on the third day with Rahul batting on 55 and Rishabh Pant unbeaten on 19.