"I would vouch for that to be used all over the world" - When Virat Kohli publicly backed using the Dukes ball in Test cricket

The Dukes ball is in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons in the ongoing Test series between India and England, with the players being vocal about its poor build. Team captains and fielders hounding the umpires for a ball change at all phases of the game has been a common sight, but things took an extreme turn for the worse on Day 2 of the third Test at Lord's.

Team India, bowling with the second new ball in the first session, requested a ball change after just 63 deliveries. To make matters worse, the visitors were displeased with the replacement selected by the umpires. In the end, the replacement ball lasted even less than the previous ball, and another change was initiated after eight more overs of play.

Players from both camps have spoken against the quality of the current batch of Dukes ball. The manufacturer, on the other hand, has cited the fielding team's quest for wickets and modern playing conditions as factors behind the balls going out of shape far earlier than originally supposed.

However, there was a time when the Dukes ball was considered the holy grail in terms of quality and longevity, by teams across the world. Former India skipper Virat Kohli had openly endorsed the Dukes ball in 2018 after being dissatisfied with the quality of the SG ball being used in the subcontinent.

During the home series against the West Indies in 2018, Team India spinner R Ashwin had bemoaned the poor condition of the SG ball. Virat Kohli backed his teammate, and recommended the Dukes ball be universally adopted.

"To have a ball scuffed up in five overs is not something that we have seen before. The quality of the ball used to be quite high before and I don't understand the reason why it's gone down. A Dukes ball is still good quality, Kookaburra is still good quality - whatever limitations a Kookaburra might have, the quality is never compromised," Kohli had said (via ESPN Cricinfo).

"The Dukes, I think, is the most suited ball for Test match cricket and if there's a situation, I would vouch for that to be used all over the world because of the consistency of the ball and how the bowlers are in the game at any stage because the seam is so hard and upright," he added.

Even in the series opener between India and England at Headingley, Leeds, vice-captain Rishabh Pant had thrown the ball in anger after being denied a change by the umpires, following a hoop test.

"On our previous tours here the ball was never changed it" - Jasprit Bumrah on Dukes ball controversy in ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

Whether it be the 2018 or the 2021 tour, or even the 2021 and 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) Finals, India have not had a plaguing and crippling problem with the quality of the red cherry in use.

“More than the pitch, I feel the ball is a bit different because, on our previous tours here the ball was never changed it used to remain hard for a long time. Now, obviously, it's dry, it's summer — the wicket is also hard — so maybe that's why the ball is getting softer. But there's quite a bit of change in that. Like, I don’t even remember in the last couple of tours if we ever got the Dukes ball changed," Bumrah said during the press conference after Day 2 at Lord's (via India Today).

England also approached the umpires for a ball change while bowling on Day 2, but the request was denied.