After Gill's Public Criticism Of Dukes Ball, Manufacturer's Sharp Response
India captain Shubman Gill publicly criticised the Dukes ball, used in the Test series against England, saying it gets soft too early, making it quite tough for the ball to create equal impact in the game as the batters. Gill's criticism, however, hasn't been welcomed by the manufacturer. Dilip Jagjodia has broken silence on the matter. Even though India managed to take 20 wickets in the second Test against England, winning the contest by over 300 runs, the skipper wasn't happy with the quality of balls being used in the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy.
"It is very difficult for the bowlers. I think more than the wicket, maybe the ball is out of shape very quickly. It gets soft very quickly. I don't know what it is, whether it is wickets or whatever. It is difficult for the bowlers. It is very difficult to get a wicket in such conditions, when there is nothing there," Gill had said after the Edgbaston Test.
Jagjodia, in a chat with the Indian Express, said that he can't give 100% guarantee for every ball that is manufactured. But, the criticism also comes from the fact that the modern bats have become a lot more powerful.
"Cricket balls come under criticism all the time. Not just Dukes, it can be SG, Kookaburra. You need to give a brand new ball for a Test, making it a product that can't be tested. And since it is made out of natural raw materials, you can't 100 percent guarantee that every ball will be perfect. Nobody on the planet can make something like that. I keep telling everybody, the bats have changed, they're very powerful, the players are stronger, they're hitting the ball out of the ground far more often. Take the Indian captain, Shubman Gill, he's not known to be a six-hitter. He is a very good-looking orthodox batsman, but he was hitting sixes. The ball is clattering into pillars and benches all that and the ball," he said.
On Gill's complaint that the ball was going soft too early, Jagjodia said that it's quite natural for that to happen.
"A cricket ball is also supposed to go soft over a period of time, that's why you get a new ball at 80 overs. But you know, we live in an impatient world. So after 30 overs, if they haven't got whatever they've received - the number of wickets - they're looking to change the ball with the hope that the new ball they get hold of will be harder. But at the end of the day, there have been results in this series. There have been high scores, so the batsmen were not disadvantaged and India took 20 wickets. What else can the ball do? The game also lasted for five days," he asserted.
When asked if it was fair for others to criticise cricket balls, Jagjodia saying the weather conditions in England and the nature of the pitch also plays a big role.
"Cricket is not a static game. This year the summer has been warmer. I was in Bengaluru 10 days ago, it was cooler there than in London. It was very dry, very warm and they covered the pitches in February. So there's no actual water on the pitches so there are loads of very nice cricket pitches. If a Test gets over in two-and-a half-days, they say Dukes ball is bowler-friendly. If it's a dry pitch and they get hundreds of runs and then they still get a result, they don't give you credit for that. Now, they say, the Dukes ball can't get wickets," he further said.
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