India’s Decision to Change Ball Sparks Debate
Former England skipper Nasser Hussain strongly criticized Indian captain Shubman Gill for his decision to request a ball change during Day 2 of the third Test against England. The second new ball was replaced after just 63 deliveries when it failed the Ring Test due to its shape. The decision sparked frustration among Indian players, including Gill himself.
Despite the dissatisfaction with the replacement ball, Hussain questioned the very need for a change, especially since Jasprit Bumrah was in the middle of a sensational spell. Before the ball was changed, Bumrah had already removed Joe Root, Ben Stokes, and Chris Woakes, applying significant pressure on England. But following the change, India failed to take any more wickets before lunch.
“𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒅𝒅 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂… 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈,” 𝑯𝒖𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝑺𝒌𝒚 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒔.
Hussain Questions Gill’s Captaincy Call
Hussain expressed confusion about India’s insistence on changing a ball that was clearly working in their favor. He emphasized that the Dukes balls can vary and suggested that Gill made a strategic error by pushing for a replacement.
“𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉,” 𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒅.
He further pointed out that not only was Bumrah thriving with the old ball, but Mohammed Siraj was also getting assistance, with batters struggling to face him despite dropped catches. Hussain concluded by saying that if a ball is offering movement and bounce, the best decision is to “stick with it.”
“𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍… 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒗𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒕,” 𝑯𝒖𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅.
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