Respect Mohammad Azharuddin, but he’s wrong, reveals owner of Dukes ball

Former Indian captain, Mohammad Azharuddin, had last week come out in support of the use of the SG ball in Indian cricket conditions as he cited that it has been in use for the last 25 years. This came after Indian captain - Virat Kohli along with the likes of Umesh Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav and other Indian players asked that the Dukes ball be implemented in Indian cricket in the near future.

And now Dilip Jajodia, the owner of the company that manufactured the legendary Dukes ball, has dismissed criticism from Azharuddin as far as the Dukes ball was concerned. Jajodia added that various factors influence the choice of balls such as Dukes, SG and Kookaburra. However,  the quality of Dukes based on long-standing manufacturing procedures has led to players such as Kohli, R Ashwin and Shane Warne demanding for its use in Test matches.

“I know Azharuddin very well. I respect his views, but he is wrong on this. Kohli, Umesh Yadav and others are not idiots to ask for Dukes even after winning handsomely against the West Indies in India. Azhar may be telling an old, out-of-date story. 

“It is incorrect to suggest that the same ball be used in all cricket matches all over the world, for the simple reason that not all pitches are the same. The solution is to have bespoke balls, suited for local conditions, but adhering to the same high standards as that of Dukes,” Jajodia told HT.

Pakistan was the latest major cricketing nation to adopt the long-lasting Dukes balls, besides Australia in the Sheffield Shield. Jajodia, who was born in India, added that the interest of the game should be uppermost while selecting a ball for use in a particular country.

“Kohli came up on his own with the demand for Dukes in a press conference. The bowlers complained even though they did well against the West Indies, much against what Azhar has said. There is no issue at all about the suitability of Dukes balls in Indian conditions”.

“Cricket has always been a passion for me. I think I have served cricket well over the years. I played with Brijesh Patel in school in Bengaluru, but could not take it further than club cricket in England. But, we have welcomed top Indian cricketers at our Woodford Wells Cricket Club, including Ashok Mankad, BS Chandrashekar, G Vishwanath and Abid Ali,” Jajodia added.

Jajodia’s company sells around 1,00,000 Dukes balls every year in various countries, and are customised as per local conditions and surfaces. Most of the Dukes balls are hand-stitched abroad, after which they are brought to the United Kingdom for further processing and finishing touches in order to maintain its quality.

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