In order to be better prepared for the challenges in England, a country that will host the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final, Indian bowlers trained with the Dukes ball during the recently-concluded 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). The WTC final will be played between India and Australia at The Oval in London between June 7-June 11. The reason Indian bowlers trained with the Dukes ball is that in England Test matches are played with the Dukes ball rather than the SG ball which is used for Test matches in India.
India captain Rohit Sharma, after the completion of the Border-Gavaskar series earlier in the year, reflected on the challenges of acclimatising to English conditions in a short period of time.
"It’s quite critical for us. We will be in constant touch with our players, who are going to be part of the WTC final and monitor their workload. In fact, we are sending some Dukes balls to all the fast bowlers as well, if they get some time to bowl with that. But again, it all depends on the individuals and it’s not that the guys who are going to be part of the WTC finals are not the guys who have not played in the UK," the Indian skipper had said on March 13 (Monday).
Ahead of the marquee final, all-rounder Axar Patel stated that players trained with the Dukes ball during IPL 2023. The southpaw also admitted that it will be challenging for players to make a switch from a high-paced T20 format to red-ball cricket.
"So even during the IPL, it was discussed that we will bowl with the red ball. We had red balls, so we were using them. You know when and how to play, how much time you have. This mental switch from white ball to red ball is obviously tough, but we have enough time," Patel told ICC.
"The difference is the Dukes ball remains shinier for longer. But during the IPL, we had ordered the ball, so were practising with it and have gotten used to it," he further added.
The Indian team has reached the U.K. and is currently acclimatising to the conditions in England. In the various pictures shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on its social media handles, the Indian players can be spotted preparing at the Arundel Castle Cricket Club for the marquee clash.
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