‘So much trouble…’: Rishabh Pant speaks about Dukes ball going out of shape being troublesome for the players

Indian vice-captain Rishabh Pant slammed the quality of Dukes ball that is being used in the ongoing Test series against England, stating that he has never seen the red cherry go out of shape to such an extent. The ball losing it’s shape has led to players regularly approaching the umpires.

The bowlers are not getting any help from the ball after it gets softer, confining the batter-bowler contest to the new ball. Ahead of the Lord’s Test, starting Thursday, Pant said the ball has become a big problem and it is not good for the game.

“The gauge (to measure the balls) should be the same (whether its Dukes or Kookaburra. But it would be better if it was smaller (laughs). The balls are giving so much trouble. Definitely, I feel it’s a big problem. Because the ball is getting out of shape,” said Pant.

“What I’ve seen, the ball is getting de shaped too much. That has never happened like this to me. It’s definitely irritating for the players because every ball plays differently because when it becomes softer, sometimes it’s not doing too much. But as soon as it changes the ball, it’s starting to do enough. As a batsman, you’ve got a keep on adjusting to it. But at the same time, I feel it’s not good for cricket anyway,” said the explosive batter.