Virat Kohli not happy with balls used for Tests in India; wants introduction of Dukes

At the end of the first Test match in Rajkot, R Ashwin expressed his disappointment with the SG balls and said that the seam collapses which does not allow the spinners to grip the ball and apply enough revs. He also said that the Dukes ball, which is used in England, is perhaps the best ball to bowl with for all the bowlers because the seam stands up for a fair amount of time.

Indian captain Virat Kohli too has echoed the same sentiment and has advocated for the use of Dukes ball across all conditions owing to the quality. 

"I totally agree with him; to have a ball scuffed up in five overs is something that we haven't seen before," Kohli said ahead of the second Test in Hyderabad.

'Quality of the ball should not be compromised'

"The quality of the ball used to be quite high before and I don't understand the reason why it's gone down. A Dukes ball is still good quality, Kookaburra is still good quality - whatever limitations a Kookaburra might have, the quality is never compromised," he added.

Speaking about the seam and how upright it remains right throughout the game, Kohli said that it presents an opportunity to the bowlers to work with at any stage of the game across all conditions as they can use the seam to their advantage.

"The Dukes ball, I think, is the most suited ball according to me for Test-match cricket and if there's a situation I would vouch for that to be used all over the world because of the consistency of the ball and how the bowlers are in the game at any stage, even the spinners, because the seam is so hard and upright," Kohli reflected.

Kohli even said that if the quality of Test cricket has to be maintained the quality of balls has to be taken care of and as of now, the Dukes ball is the best bet for Test cricket.

"I think the quality of the ball has to be maintained, there's no doubt about that. Otherwise, you have too many dead sessions in a Test match, which you don't want to see. You want to see exciting cricket and guys working hard for runs, being in the battle all day. I totally agree with Ash," he opined.