Former coach Ravi Shastri criticised the standard of the umpiring after England requested a ball change following the 56th over of Team India’s innings. He also questioned the umpires for waiting until the drinks break to address the issue, causing a delay.

On Day 3, England’s bowlers struggled to make an impact as Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul continued to build on their overnight scores. The seamers couldn’t generate movement, prompting Jofra Archer to request a ball change in the first hour. The ball, however, passed the ring test, leading the umpire to deny the request for a change. After the 56th over, a short drinks break was taken. Just before play was set to continue, a match official brought a box of replacement balls for the umpires to review.

Former England cricketer Ian Ward raised the question of why the umpires didn’t take the opportunity to examine the replacement balls and conduct their checks earlier.

“This is honestly absurd,” Ward said on-air. “If they were going to change the ball, why wasn’t that decision made at the start of the drinks break? The process could have been completed three minutes ago. We waited through the entire drinks break and we should be playing by now,” Ward said.

“I completely agree. What you’re saying is pure common sense, it’s basic, It’s difficult to explain, honestly. Did they forget to check the ball? What’s surprising is that they checked five balls, and none of them passed through the ring. So, why are they in the box in the first place?,” Shastri said.

Eventually, the umpires selected a new ball, which was handed over to England. The hosts were given the chance to bowl with the replacement ball against India after the 80-over mark, which occurred midway through the second session.