England batter Joe Root has suggested that teams should be allowed only three ball change requests every 80 overs to manage the ongoing issue with the Dukes ball losing shape during the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The former England captain believes this would be a fair way to avoid unnecessary delays and reduce blame on the manufacturers.
His comments came after a controversial moment on Day 2 of the Lord’s Test between India and England. India captain Shubman Gill was unhappy when the second new ball was changed just 63 deliveries after it was taken. The replacement ball given to India looked much older, leading to a heated discussion between Gill and umpire Sharfuddoula Saikat. That replacement ball was again swapped out after just 48 deliveries.
Throughout the series, the Dukes ball has been under scrutiny for going out of shape too soon. The issue has affected the flow of play and added to the slow over rates. On the first two days at Lord’s, 22 overs were lost in total.
Also read: IND vs ENG 2025: Shubman Gill In Trouble At Lord's After Altercation With On-Field Umpires
Joe Root Offers Cool Fix Amid Shubman Gill’s Anger as Ball Change Debate Heats Up
Speaking after play on Day 2, Joe Root laid out his thoughts on how to better manage the ongoing ball-change issue, suggesting that there should only be three challenges allowed to the teams every 80 overs. He believes a challenge-based system, similar to DRS, could prevent constant ball changes and bring consistency to the process.
"I personally think that if you want to keep getting the ball changed then each team gets three challenges every 80 overs and that’s it, if you want to get it changed. But the rings have to be the right size, not too big," Root said as quoted.
He stated that the issue should not be pinned entirely on Dukes, the ball manufacturer, and teams should not be asking for a change in ball every now and then, taking an indirect dig at Shubman Gill.
"That would be a nice way of compromising and saying it’s not all on the manufacturer. Sometimes these things happen but you can’t just keep asking and wasting time and slowing the game down at the same time," he added.
Root pointed out the unusual English weather as a possible reason for the ball behaving differently this summer.
"I don’t know the ins and outs of how they make it (Dukes ball). I do know that they’re handmade so you’re never going to get two balls exactly the same. I do think this summer has been a bit of an anomaly for us. We’re not used to getting this much sun and this much heat and squares as hard and outfields as firm so whether that plays a part or not."
The 34-year-old said players should adapt to ball changes rather than getting too worked up about them.
"It’s one of those things where if the balls are going out of shape, you change them and you don’t make a big deal out of it. I don’t think it’s the end of the world. I think it adds a different dynamic to the game and you’ve got to be skilful enough to adapt to the changes, whether it stops swinging or starts swinging or does a little bit more," he opined.
Finally, Root touched on the over rate issue, saying the heat and conditions make it challenging, but teams still need to find ways to manage time better.
"I don’t want to get myself in trouble by trying to rewrite the thing but I think that’s one way of policing the ball thing. In terms of over rates it can be quite difficult on a day like today. We’re not used to this are we? Thirty (degrees) in England feels like 45 elsewhere. But I guess just try and keep on top of it as much as you can," Root concluded.
England Post 387, India Reach 145/3 at Stumps on Day 2
England were bowled out for 387 runs in their first innings. Root was the top scorer with a brilliant 104, his 37th Test century.
India ended Day 2 at 145/3. KL Rahul is batting on 53, while Rishabh Pant is on 19.
Also read: IND vs ENG 2025: Joe Root Overtakes Rahul Dravid To This Milestone At Lord's
