Did the Duke's ball change at Lord’s cost India third Test? All you need to know

The Indian cricket team has raised strong concerns over the ball change rules in the recent Lord’s Test, claiming the incident may have cost them the game. India lost the Test match by 22 runs after Siraj’s defensive shot rolled back onto the stumps. The defeat proved costly, leaving India trailing by 1‑2 in the five-match series. According to a report by the Indian Express, a crucial moment turned against them when the umpires replaced their 10-over ball with a 30-over ball because a similar replacement wasn’t available. This aspect turned to favour the hosts, with them scoring runs with ease.

“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,” an Indian team official was quoted as saying to the Indian Express.

The turning point

Before the ball was changed, India was all over England, thanks to Jasprit Bumrah’s fiery spell. In just 14 balls, Bumrah removed English skipper Ben Stokes, Joe Root, and Chris Woakes, all with deliveries that swung and troubled the English batters. But after 10 overs, the ball lost its shape and failed the standard ring test used by umpires.

The umpires then handed India a replacement ball much older than the one they had been using. The change was visible: the original ball swung an average of 1.869 degrees, while the replacement moved just 0.855 degrees in the air, as reported by ESPN Cricinfo.

With the older and softer ball, England’s Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse added a crucial 84-run partnership for the eighth wicket, with Smith scoring 51 off 56 balls and Carse making 56 off 83. From 271/7, England went to 355/8, the important runs in England's victory.

Questions Over Ball Selection Process

The controversy has also put the spotlight on how balls are selected in Test matches. Traditionally, the fourth umpire from the host nation brings a box of balls to the dressing room before the match, allowing the visiting team to pick two for use during the game. The match referee, the neutral authority, is not involved in this process.

An Indian official alleges that this process is controversial and there should be involvement of the match referee, who is a neutral party in the contest. They also said that balls with a darker shade of red, which swing more, only had one such ball available in the box that was brought to them. The team has reported the matter to the ICC, seeking greater transparency and neutral oversight in the selection of replacement balls.