Did India receive '30-over-old ball' against England at Lord's? Report
What's the story
As per a report by The Indian Express, the Indian team management has expressed dissatisfaction with the ball-change protocol in the ongoing Test series against England. The officials have raised concerns with the ICC match referee, alleging that England were given "preferential treatment" in selecting balls at the start of Lord's Test The issue arose when the second new ball lost its shape after just 10 overs. It is believed to be 30-35 overs old.
Match dynamics
India believe they were treated unfairly
As per the report, the Indian team believes that the older replacement ball put India behind, as England claimed a narrow 22-run win. It is understood that the stock was devoid of a 10-over-old ball for replacement. An Indian team official said, "At Lord's, after about 10 overs, the Dukes ball lost its shape... However, the umpires didn't have a ball that was 10 overs old."
Rule clarification
Indian team requested to switch back to original ball
The report added that upon receiving a ball older than usual, the Indian team management requested the match referee to switch back to the previous one. However, a rule book was shown, which states that when a ball change is requested, its replacement's age isn't disclosed. The official said, "If we were told [the replacement would be 30-35 overs old], we would have continued with the deformed ball."
Game changer
Momentum was lost after the ball change
Before the ball lost its shape, Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah was on song. He swung the ball and took wickets in quick succession. However, after the replacement ball was introduced, things went south. The official said, "Check the scoreboard to see how the game changed after that. The bowlers lost their swing and England scored with ease."
Information
Swing and seam from replacement ball
As per ESPNcricinfo, the second new ball swung 1.869 degrees and seamed 0.579 degrees on average. Meanwhile, the replacement ball swung 0.855 degrees on average and seamed 0.594 degrees.
Lord's
How the Lord's Test panned out
After losing the 2nd Test, England bounced back with a thrilling win against India at Lord's. The hosts successfully defended 192, bowling India out for 170. Although England outclassed India on Day 5, Ravindra Jadeja's 61*(181) took it to the final session. The match served a tale of two halves, with the latter seeing bowlers' domination. KL Rahul and Joe Root earlier slammed tons.