London [UK], July 9 : Ahead of his side's third Test against England at Lord's, Indian wicketkeeper-batter and vice-captain Rishabh Pant spoke on the ball getting out of shape too much during the matches, saying that such things have never happened and it is "not good for cricket".
The third Test between India and England will take place at Lord's from Thursday onwards. With the series one-one each, Team India heads into the match with massive morale, having won two of their last three matches at Lord's.
So far in the series, the Dukes ball has frequently become out of shape, causing a lot of trouble to bowlers, who are not entitled to a ball change every time they need it. A new ball is usually introduced 80 overs into an innings.
Speaking ahead of the match in the pre-match presser, Pant said, "I feel the gauge should be the same (to determine if the ball has gone out of shape, irrespective of the ball brand), but if it is a little smaller, it will be better. Definitely, I feel it is a big problem because the ball is getting out of shape. But at the same time, it is not up to us. Because visually, when you see the ball, you can see it's de-shaped."
"The ball is getting de-shaped too much. That has never happened like this. It is definitely irritating for the players because every ball plays in a different way. Because when it becomes softer, sometimes it does not do too much. But as soon as it changes the ball, it starts to do enough. So as a batsman, you have to keep adjusting to it. But at the same time, I feel it is not good for cricket eventually," he added.
Speaking on the good camaraderie between him and captain Shubman Gill, Pant said, "I think it eventually shows on the field, and that is exactly what happened. What is happening, because you know, when two people trust each other, it is easier to do the same thing, the communication is better on the ground, and hopefully we can do the same thing with the whole team going forward, and just make it one big unit."
Pant expressed happiness with pacers Mohammed Siraj, who got a six-wicket haul, and Akash Deep, who secured a ten-wicket haul at Birmingham, for stepping up during the second Test.
"At such times, when the bowler levels up and shows what he is capable of, so eventually the team becomes better and better," he concluded.