'Should've Never Done That': Steve Harmison Questions Shubman Gill's Tactics, Offers Hard-Hitting Perspective On Dukes Ball Controversy

IND vs ENG: The ongoing third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series continued to grab eyeballs for all the wrong reasons. Frequent ball changes in the Lord's Test match has left fans and experts of the game surprised about the quality of the Dukes ball. While India were bowling the 91st over of the England innings, they asked for a ball change as the one that was being used went soft and out of shape. Much to India's relief, the ball failed the ring test, and the umpires fulfilled India's request.

The Dukes ball, which is the biggest aspect of Test matches being played in England, is facing the heat due to extreme weather conditions in the United Kingdom. The ball which is used in England has continued to go out of shape in short intervals and has attracted contrasting opinions from the important personalities of the game. Former England cricketer Stuart Broad also pointed out that the manufacturers of Dukes need to identify and fix the issue.

Steve Harmison Questions India's Ball Change Tactics

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The entire ball change episode saw Indian Test skipper Shubman Gill and pacer Mohammed Siraj having an intense chat with the match officials. The Indian skipper looked extremely unhappy with the way the ball was behaving. Mohammed Siraj also expressed his disappointment with the condition of the ball, and his comments were heard on the stump mic.

According to former England pacer Steve Harmison, India shouldn't have opted for the ball change considering the swing that they were extracting with it. "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. I do agree the ball was a lot older than the one they replaced. That's why I've a pretty little sympathy with India. They should've never done that," said Harmison while speaking on JioHotstar.

ALSO READ | Jasprit Bumrah Breaks Silence On Dukes Ball Change 'Controversy': 'Don't Want To Lose Out On Money'

Joe Root Shares His Observations On Dukes Ball Controversy

After scoring his 37th Test ton, former English skipper Joe Root was asked about the Dukes ball controversy. Root did not read too much into the matter and said that both the teams need to adapt to the conditions and play the game accordingly. Root also pointed towards the extreme weather conditions in the UK that might've forced the ball to behave in such a way.