Who said what - top 5 expert reactions on India changing the ball early on Day 2 of ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test ft. Nasser Hussain

Day 2 of the third Test between England and India at Lord's was an action-packed one. From individual brilliance by players to on-field issues, it had all the spice and drama.

During England's batting innings, Indian captain Shubman Gill asked for the second new ball to be changed after it was just 10 overs old. He was visibly displeased with the replacement ball, and so was pacer Mohammed Siraj. Not a long while after, the visitors asked for the ball to be changed yet again, just 48 deliveries after having changed it once already.

While the Indians were unhappy with the ball and got it changed early in the day, the move was widely questioned and also criticized. Notably, Jasprit Bumrah had bagged three wickets within the first hour of play, after which the ball was requested to be changed, following which they found it tough to pick up wickets for a while.

They eventually bowled England out for 387 in their first innings on the second day. However, the runs could have been fewer had they not changed the ball early on. That said, here are the top five expert reactions to this move by the visitors in the ongoing third Test.

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#5 Dinesh Karthik

Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik suggested that ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who had bagged three wickets before the ball was changed, did not appear to be ready for the move. He also called it odd, given that the ball was moving.

“A bit odd, considering how much that ball was moving, probably the most in this Test match and consistently as well. They delivered 63 balls with it and quite a few of them moved. So, I don’t know what the conversation was. It felt like [Mohammed] Siraj initiated that and Shubman was there, Bumrah looked like he wasn’t ready for it to be changed, but it happened," he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

As the day ended, Bumrah finished with a five-fer. It was also his maiden five-wicket haul at Lord's.

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#4 Irfan Pathan

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan also echoed Dinesh Karthik's sentiments, questioning the ball change. As the visitors had picked up three early wickets, Irfan stated that there was no need to change the ball.

“Why was the ball changed? You had already taken three wickets early in the morning. There was no need to change the ball that was doing the trick. Even if the shape had gone off — it doesn’t matter. There was no need to change the game. I can tell you as a bowler: we only think of changing the ball when it stops doing anything. If the ball is moving and even if its shape has changed, and you’ve got wickets — not one, not two, but three wickets — then why are you changing the ball?" he said on his YouTube channel.

He added that the move changed the game significantly and was an important factor where the game turned.

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#3 Stuart Broad

Former England pacer Stuart Broad raised concerns about the quality of the Dukes ball and suggested that it has to be fixed.

"The cricket ball should be like a fine wicketkeeper. Barely noticed. We are having to talk about the ball too much because it is such an issue, & being changed virtually every innings. Unacceptable. Feels like it's been 5 years now. Dukes have a problem. They need to fix it. A ball should last 80 overs. Not 10," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The quality of the ball is under the scanner and has been questioned by both players and other former cricketers.

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#2 Steve Harmison

Former England pacer, talking on JioHotstar (via Hindustan Times), criticized the move to change the ball. He also slammed Mohammed Siraj for not consulting Bumrah before accepting the captain's decision.

"I've got no sympathy for India at all. Why change it? Jasprit Bumrah got it swinging around the corners. Mohammed Siraj didn't even throw the ball to Bumrah, didn't ask his opinion. When he asked for the ball to be changed, the ball was doing a lot. Now, the ball being good enough is a different argument. In this situation, I've got no idea why India decided to change the ball," he said.

He added that the move cost the visitors as England scored close to 400, where they should have been bowled out for 320 or so.

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#1 Nasser Hussain

Former England captain Nasser Hussain was also severely critical about the move, unable to figure out why the visitors changed the ball early in the morning session.

“The ball was doing everything this morning. The ball they had, for 63 deliveries, was zipping round corners. Bumrah was going through a magic spell. Siraj at the other hand was having catches dropped. The ball was carrying through to the wicketkeeper. It was doing everything. It was doing more than at any stage in the Test match. I cannot work out why you’d want to change a ball that was doing this much, sixty-three deliveries of the ball zipping round," he said. (via The Indian Express).

He also called out Indian captain Shubman Gill and termed it as a 'bizarre' move.