"The superstars can argue" - Dukes manufacturer breaks silence on ball going out of shape repeatedly amid ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

The Dukes ball has come under scrutiny from the cricket fraternity in the ongoing Lord's Test match between India and England. The key concerns were the balls losing its shape and becoming too soft too soon, which has sparked a reaction from the Dukes manufacturer, Dilip Jajodia.

On Day 2 of the fixture, Jasprit Bumrah utilized the five-over old Dukes ball to deliver a menacing spell. He went past the defenses of Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Chris Woakes in his first 14 balls, which reduced England from 260/4 to 271/7.

However, the Indian pacers couldn't continue their momentum, and requested a ball change after just 10.3 overs of its use. Skipper Shubman Gill complained to the umpires that the ball had lost its shape and become soft, despite it offering movement for the bowlers.

After the ball didn't pass through any of three rings on the gauge, it was immediately changed. But, the Indian team expressed their disappointment with the replacement ball as well. It resulted in the ball getting changed 48 deliveries later after seemingly losing its shape.

The frequent ball swapping didn't help India's cause, as they couldn't create further inroads in the England's batting line-up. Jamie Smith (51) and Brydon Carse (56) stitched together an 84-run stand to propel England to a strong 387-run total.

After the day's play, Dilip Jajodia shared his thoughts on the controversy surrounding the Dukes ball in an interaction with PTI. As per the 81-year-old, it's not easy to manufacture a ball, and they are trying their best to offer a better product. He said (via News 18):

“There are only three recognised manufacturers in world cricket (Dukes, SG and Kookaburra). It’s not easy (making a cricket ball). And if it were easy, there’d be hundreds and hundreds of manufacturers around the world."

“So, I think the players need to realise that we are not sitting back doing nothing. We’re trying our best. And if there’s an issue, it will be reviewed and we look at it and see where the problem is, whether it is a fault with the leather or there’s a fault with something else. We will look into it. I’m not sitting around with my feet up smoking a cigar."

Jajodia also warned the star cricketers to be little "generous" when passing their criticism on the Dukes ball. He opined that their comments can have a significant impact on the jobs of the people working on the ball.

“The superstars can argue. They’re the paymasters. I have to produce what they want. That’s all I can say to that. It’s very easy (to criticise)," he said.

“And people should be careful that when they make this criticism, it’s not just criticising me or my ball. There are a lot of people behind me. Jobs are at stake. So we have to be careful. Always be careful, be generous," he added.

Dilip Jajodia also provided a rationale behind the Dukes ball losing its shape. He credited it to the playing conditions, the bat's thickness and the batting approach of modern day cricket.

---

Jasprit Bumrah offers his take on Dukes ball controversy in ENG vs IND 3rd Test

In the press conference after the day's play, Indian bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was asked about the drama surrounding the Dukes ball. As per Bumrah, he didn't face any problems with the ball during his previous tours (2018 and 2021) to England and the World Test Championship finals as well.

The 31-year-old avoided getting harsh on the ball as it may result in him facing a fine. But, Bumrah opined that the ball losing its shape isn't under their control and admitted to the team not able to secure enough wickets. He said (via ESPNCricinfo):

"The ball changes, I don't really control that. Obviously I don't really want to lose out on money because I worked very hard, I bowled a lot of overs, so I don't want to say any controversial statement 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 [and] sometimes you get a bad ball, that's how it is."

Despite a relatively flat pitch and Dukes ball controversy, Jasprit Bumrah returned with impressive figures of 5/74. He also created history by going past Kapil Dev's record (12) for most five-wicket hauls on overseas soil.