The controversial awarding of the wickets of 2 England left-handers is now threatening to threaten the spectacular half a dozen defeat of India against England in the 5 th Test played at The Oval. Shabbir Ahmed, the former Pakistan cricketer has questioned the state of the ball that India played with on the final two days of the contest.
Siraj and Krishna shine as India levels series
An old ball that had passed the 80-over mark gave the Indian bowlers, particularly Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, their possibilities. Siraj kept the ball on the move both ways, and Krishna was helping him with proper bowling keeping the England batters in a tight check.
Even though there was a chance to switch the new ball to a new one, skipper Shubman Gill decided to stay with the old one. The move was a good one because India managed to take important wickets without the second new ball. Siraj was off the beam bowling with variations in the length to pierce England tail.
Siraj bowled an out-swinger to get Jamie Smith out and by the next ball bowled Jamie Overton lbw with one that swung back in. His knack of hitting the ball late especially when the pressure was greatest in the dying match minutes got the England lower middle order into trouble.
After the victory, Ball Tampering Allegations arose
Amid the huge praise the two bowlers of Team India, Siraj and Prasidh Krishna got after completing match-winning spells in the recent series between India and New Zealand, not everyone remained as sold. Ex-Pakistan pacer Shabbir Ahmed accused India of an unfair way to make the ball shiny. He reminded that Vaseline could have been applied in order to assist in the unnatural swing of the ball once 80 overs were reached.
“I think India used Vaseline. After 80 + over ball still shine like new. Umpire should send this ball to the lab for examination,” he posted on X. He called for ICC umpires to send the match ball for a lab test, casting doubt on India’s bowling performance.
I think
India used Vaseline
After 80 + over
Ball still shine like new
Umpire should send this ball to lab for examine— Shabbir Ahmed Khan (@ShabbirTestCric) August 4, 2025
The actions of Ahmed based on his claims did not take into consideration the fact that there was seam-friendly pitch and cloudy weather conditions that existed during the match. This along with the talent of Siraj and the bowling prowess of Krishna were some of the factors that helped India on the fourth and final day of the Test.
The Role of Prasidh Krishna is also Primarily Important
Prasidh Krishna did not swing the ball extensively like Siraj but equally effective. He had already excluded Josh Tongue once in the previous over only to be denied by DRS. However he came back to bowl him out after a few minutes with a beauty that caught him all ends up.
Krishna and Siraj were managing to drop off the pitch even with the ball being more than 80 overs old. Both bowlers played the main roles in the collapse of England which demonstrated that it was not all about the state of the ball, but also the ability of seam bowling in crucial situations.
India took all the last 7 wickets with only 66 runs giving them a close victory that drew the series to 2-2. The endeavor was commended by their fans and analysts but it somehow seems as though some retired cricketers are not ready to accept the outcome without feud.
There is Frequent Ball Tampering Allegations Made against India
The remarks by Shabbir Ahmed are not the first time when India had to be accused about the ball. In the 2023 ODI World Cup, Hasan Raza of Pakistan accused the ICC of playing different balls to India because Shami, Bumrah and Siraj had found more swing in the ball.
Similar claims reappeared in the 2024 T20 World Cup which India went on to win. Fomrer Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was accused of Arshdeep Singh pointing fingers. There was very bitter opposition to his remarks and one such response was by Mohammed Shami who rejected the allegations completely.
Although such allegations keep arising every time Indians win, it is better to be quiet and show the on-field achievements rather than to create allegations. To all the details of the ICC possibly reacting to the new assertion of Shabbir Ahmed or not, one of the prime factors that lead to the turnover of the Indian team at The Oval has to be the outstanding show by the duo Siraj and Krishna.
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