India, July 10 -- There was a time when Virat Kohli and Umesh Yadav, among others, advocated the use of Duke's balls for Test cricket in India. When Jasprit Bumrah insisted that he enjoyed bowling the most with the ball of the same make, compared to the Kookaburra used in most parts of the world or the SG Test, which is the preferred choice in India.

Not anymore. The Duke's has been the object of much scrutiny and condemnation over the last three weeks. It has facilitated massive scores in both County and international cricket - at the start of the season, England discard Dom Sibley scored a triple-hundred for Surrey, who amassed more than 800 runs against Durham, while the runs have flowed in the ongoing Test series between England and ...