ENG vs IND 2025: 'Sometimes bowlers are a bit dumb' - Michael Vaughan slams India's ball change row at Lord's

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has criticised India’s decision to opt for a ball change during Day 2 of the third Test at Lord’s. The incident occurred when Indian players expressed dissatisfaction with the ball losing its shape, prompting Shubman Gill to request a replacement.

While Jasprit Bumrah did manage to pick up three wickets with the second new ball, England did not lose any additional wickets in their first innings after the change, which led Vaughan to question the choice. He remarked that the fielding side should not be overly concerned with the ball’s shape.

“I'm a big believer that sometimes bowlers are a bit dumb. I've watched cricket for a number of years, and when you have got a ball that is moving around, I don't care how big it is, I don't care what shape it is in. It's moving around, you just got three wickets,” Vaughan said on Cricbuzz.

Bumrah's reaction to phone ringing during press conference

Also Check

Bumrah's reaction to phone ringing during press conference

Vaughan also criticises Mohammed Siraj, noting that the fast bowler seemed to be the one frequently urging the umpires for a ball change. He implied that the bowlers may have been overthinking the situation and felt they should have adapted to the conditions rather than rely on altering the ball.

“Mohammed Siraj, looks to me like he's taking it on his own to the umpire saying 'I want a change in the ball'. All the rest of the team should have gone and whacked Siraj on the head and said, 'What are you doing?' Then the next ball arrived and it did nothing. They should not have done that, and bowlers sometimes, they overcomplicate life,” Vaughan said.

Bumrah acknowledged that the lessons learned during his last tour of England played a key role in helping him exploit the conditions effectively, leading to a five-wicket haul in the third Test at Lord’s.

“I thought about the slope on the last tour, it did not help. My lesson from that was not to keep that in mind and I got the benefit of that. In these hot conditions, it is all about maximizing the new ball. It was not like that in the previous tour, that has been the major difference,” Bumrah said.