It took nearly 25 overs, two days, a player reprimand, and relentless complaints from Indian players for the umpires to finally change the ball on Day 5 of the first Test between India and England at Headingley. And when it finally happened, Ravindra Jadeja made sure it wouldn’t go unnoticed.
Jadeja celebrating the ball change with the umpire! 😂👏#ENGvIND #ENGvsIND #Testcricket pic.twitter.com/KrNLzFREUA
— Cricket Winner (@cricketwinner_) June 24, 2025
Throughout the second innings, India were visibly unhappy with the condition of the ball. Frustrations had already boiled over by the end of Day 4, when Rishabh Pant, dissatisfied with the decision, threw the ball away after umpire Paul Reiffel refused to replace it. Pant, also India’s vice-captain, was subsequently reprimanded by the match referee.
The dissatisfaction didn’t wane overnight. On Day 5, Shubman Gill was the first to raise the issue again, joined soon by Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shardul Thakur. Though the ball passed the gauge test multiple times, umpires Chris Gaffaney and Reiffel continued to deny a replacement, stating that there was no technical reason to switch it.
As Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley were scoring freely and the pitch offered no assistance to the bowlers, India remained persistent in their appeals. Their constant complaints were even booed by the Headingley crowd, but the team didn’t relent.
Finally, after the 27th over, the ball failed the gauge test. The umpires agreed to change it. The moment India had been pushing for arrived, and their reaction was unfiltered.
Rishabh Pant was caught shouting “Yessss” on the stump mic, while Ravindra Jadeja, about to bowl the 28th over, clenched his fists and celebrated right in front of umpire Gaffaney. The umpire, taking it sportingly, responded with a smile and put a hand on Jadeja’s shoulder, lightly urging him to resume bowling.
“Have never seen a player celebrating for the umpire,”
quipped Stuart Broad on commentary as the amusing exchange unfolded right before Lunch.
Although India got just one over each from Bumrah and Siraj with the changed ball before the break, and there wasn’t any noticeable difference, the team will be hoping that the new ball generates more swing and slows down England’s openers.
With Crawley and Duckett already at 117/0, the pressure remains on India to make early inroads or risk the game slipping away.