The Dukes ball was one of the main talking points of the Lord's Test between India and England with both teams complaining about the condition of the ball. A massive controversy also erupted during the third day of the Test at the iconic venue as the Indian players complained about the ball multiple times during the first session itself, but despite the ball getting changed twice, the Men in Blue still weren't happy with the condition of the new ball that was provided to them.
India have approached ICC on the matter
According to a report by The Indian Express, Team India have now decided to take the matter to the International Cricket Council (ICC). The report stated that the visitors have argued that the second replacement ball, which lost its shape in just 10 overs, was 30-35 overs old. They further claimed that this gave them a massive disadvantage and led to them eventually losing the match by 22 runs.
"The protocol states the replacement needs to be as old as the original but it is learnt that the umpires told the team there was no ball in stock that was 10 overs old," the report stated.
"At Lord's, after about 10 overs, the Dukes ball lost its shape, something that has been happening so often in the series. The ball failed to pass through the rings that the umpires carry on the field to check if the ball is uniformly spherical. However, the umpires didn't have a ball that was 10 overs old, so the Indian team at a crucial moment of the match got a ball that was 30-35 overs old," the report quoted a BCCI official as saying.
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The report further stated that India would have settled with the second replacement ball if they would have known that the new ball they were going to get was 30-35 overs old.
"When you ask for a ball change, you aren't told about the age of the replacement you will be getting. At Lord's, we weren't told that the replacement would be 30 to 35 overs old. If we were told, we would have continued with the deformed ball that was used for 10 overs. The ICC needs to intervene. This rule needs to be changed," the BCCI official added.
Meanwhile, India head into the fifth and final match of the Test series against England, trailing the hosts by 2-1. The Men in Blue lost all chances of triumphing in the series after they recorded a draw in the fourth match at Old Trafford, however they can still manage to level it up if they win the final Test at The Oval which commences from July 31. But, the Three Lions will certainly be the favourites to lift the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy as even a draw in the fifth match will see them win the series.