Shubman Gill slammed left and right for sparking ball-change controversy: ‘Why did he allow Siraj?’

Shubman Gill faced criticism for allowing a ball change. Despite success with the original ball, Siraj's complaint led to a replacement, which didn't work.

India captain Shubman Gill was slammed left and right by former India and England cricketers for allowing Mohammed Siraj to change the second new ball because it had gone out of shape. India forced the umpires to change the second new ball after it was in play for 63 balls. It would not have been surprising if India were struggling to get breakthroughs with that particular ball but that wasn't the case. The move was described as "baffling" by former England captain Nasser Hussain because India had gotten three wickets with that ball and had extracted the most movement in the first 45 minutes of Day 2 of the second Test at Lord's.

India's captain Shubman Gill interacts with umpire Sharfuddoula on the second day of the third test vs England(PTI)

The flashpoint occurred during the 91st over of England’s innings. With India having taken three key wickets — including those of Joe Root, Ben Stokes, and Chris Woakes — in the first half-hour of play using the second new ball, the proceedings were brought to a halt when the ball was deemed out of shape. This happened only after Siraj complained about it to the umpires. What Hussain and other former cricketers like Mohammed Kaif and Stuart Broad could not understand was the need for India to request a change of ball, which was working in their favour. Following a routine gauge test by the umpires, the decision was made to replace the ball.

The replacement ball didn’t appear as new or as lively as expected. Siraj, who had just bowled one delivery with the new ball, handed it to Gill. The Indian skipper’s reaction was one of disbelief and visible anger.

The timing couldn’t have been worse for India. With movement diminishing, England’s lower-order pair Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse settled in confidently. The duo capitalised on the calmer conditions and stitched together a defiant 50-run stand, dragging England from 271-7 to beyond 350, neutralising Jasprit Bumrah’s fiery morning spell.

As drinks were called three overs later, Gill was once again seen in animated conversation with the umpires, still unhappy with how the situation was handled. The controversy over the ball change has now added a fresh layer of tension to an already fiercely competitive series.

Former cricketers slam India captain Shubman Gill

Reacting to this, former India batter Mohammed Kaif said Gill should not have allowed a ball change. "Indians showing little patience with ball. Ball change after Bumrah's three wickets backfires. Swing gone, it's tough to understand why Shubman allowed Siraj to change ball," Kaif wrote on X.

Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad said: "The cricket ball should be like a fine wicket keeper. Barely noticed. We are having to talk about the ball too much because it is such an issue & being changed virtually every innings. Unacceptable. Feels like it’s been 5 years now. Dukes have a problem. They need to fix it. A ball should last 80 overs. Not 10," he wrote on X.

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar too criticised Gill. “Possibly. I was watching Shubman closely, and you could see it got to him. Emotions were running high. India had been on the field for a long time, had just got Joe Root out, and really wanted to press on. This was a genuinely frustrated young man, which is understandable. Whether India lost a bit of control in that phase — the ball change could have been a contributing factor," he said on Match Centre Live.