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No Dukes Balls in Picture; India- Australia Amicably Decide To Use Kookaburra Instead

image-lhunga87India and Australia will play WTC Final from June 7 (Twitter)

In a departure from tradition, the Indian Cricket Team will be using the Kookaburra ball instead of Dukes ball during their tour of England for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2023. As per a report published by InsideSport, India and Australia have mutually agreed to adopt the Australian variant of the red ball.

Back in 2021, during the WTC Final, against New Zealand, the ICC employed Duke's ball. However, recently, various county teams have raised concerns about the diminishing quality of the Red Duke's balls.

This change is likely influenced by the dissatisfaction expressed by teams, including New Zealand's captain Kane Williamson, during their tour of England last year. Williamson had specifically mentioned that the Dukes balls lost their shape quickly, softened, and lost the ability to swing.

The reasons behind both teams opting for Kookaburra balls instead of Dukes in the WTC Final are not explicitly stated. However, it is worth noting that Indian pacers have already start practicing with red balls during their IPL 2023 training sessions. 

On the other hand, some Australian players are currently engaged in county cricket, while the remaining players are preparing individually. The entire Australian team is expected to gather in London in the coming week, while the first group of Indian players is scheduled to depart for London on May 23rd.

"I think it’ll be India’s top order against Australia’s fast bowling, It’s a bit of a mouth-watering thought going forward. Generally, we think about the battles between India’s spinners and Australia’s batters. But will that be negated by the wicket at The Oval? Normally the wickets that I’ve played on The Oval have started as really good batting wickets, and actually have offered a little bit to the spinners as the game’s going on," said Ricky Ponting during an interview.

The much-anticipated India versus Australia fixture is scheduled to commence on June 7th at the Oval.