India vs Windies 2018: Virat Kohli Bats For Duke Balls In Test Cricket

Of late, the pressure to introduce Duke Balls in Test format of the game is taking the boost. Recently, Shane Warne asked International Cricket Council to use Duke balls across the world to keep the quality of Test format upright. Meanwhile, the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli also gave his voice on the same issue.

Indian skipper feels that the seam of Duke Balls stays healthy for most of the game thus keeping the spinners and fast bowlers in the game. On the other hand, the other balls will lose its quality after playing for few overs.

Duke Balls never compromised on the quality – Virat Kohli

The Delhi lad furtherly added saying the Duke balls have got the quality to sustain for the longer part of the time. He also cited his concern for the drop down in quality of other balls, which are losing its shine after five overs.

”To have a ball scruffed up in five overs is not something we’ve seen before. The quality of the balls used to be quite high before, so I don’t understand why it has gone down. The Dukes and Kookaburra are still good quality balls… whatever limitations the latter might have, the quality is never compromised. The Dukes ball, I think, is the most suited for Test Cricket,” Virat Kohli said in the pre-match press conference.

“The seam is so hard and upright that it keeps both the pacers and spinners in the game. The quality of the ball has to be maintained, otherwise, you will have too many dead sessions in a Test and you don’t want that.”

In India, you don’t need slips – Virat Kohli

Further, Virat Kohli also spoke on the slip-catching, which has been the prime area of concern for Indian cricket. The slip catching has seen the wrong side of the things when India toured overseas. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli feels the conditions won’t suit the fielders in India.

“The guys who’re doing the job regularly are the ones who are putting the minutes in practice as well, be it Pujara, Ajinkya, Rahul or myself. We all do our bit at training to make sure we take x number of catches. Obviously, in India, you might not need as many numbers of slips, but if required, the slip catching cordon will be consistent. These guys are willing to do the job for a long period of time, and hence the results,” he inferred.

However, as Virat Kohli said, the conditions in India doesn’t ask the slip cordon for fast bowlers. Meanwhile, it would be interesting to see whether the supreme board will consider the option of Duke balls in Test format.