Did India Tamper With the Ball? Siraj & Krishna Accused in 5th Test vs England

Team India is under scrutiny after former Pakistan pacer Shabbir Ahmed accused fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna of using Vaseline to shine the old ball during Day 5 of the fifth Test at The Oval.

The accusation comes just days after India’s historic win at the Oval, where they leveled the series 2-2 and shared the prestigious Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 with England.

According to the Pacer, the Indian duo may have tampered with the ball to generate a late swing during the final day’s play. He went so far as to request ICC and umpires to send the balls used on Days 4 and 5 for lab examination, citing the ball's unusual shine despite being over 80 overs old.

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Decisive Final Day at The Oval

Day 5 at the Oval began with overcast conditions and slight drizzle, and India came out with the old ball as they still had 5 overs remaining before they could request a new ball. Defending 35 runs with 4 of England’s wickets remaining, Mohammed Siraj came out with a plan of bowling length deliveries outside off, sticking to his outswingers as the ball was showing signs of swing. The plan worked well, as Siraj dismissed the dangerous Jamie Smith with the outswinger.

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Prasidh Krishna, from the other end, bowled a bit fuller. The ball wasn’t swinging as much for him as it did for Siraj, but he still managed to pick up two wickets with his fuller deliveries and yorkers. Shubman Gill and the bowlers decided not to ask for the new ball as the older ball was swinging well. However, Mohammed Siraj had to bowl a full-toss angled in to dismiss Gus Atkinson, who missed the slog and was clean bowled.

Indian bowlers successfully defended the target and won the match by 6 runs to level the series. Mohammed Siraj was named Player of the Match for his historic five-wicket haul and became the series' top wicket-taker with 23 wickets across 10 innings.

Despite the overcast conditions helping the seamers, the Indian bowlers managed to take 7 wickets for just 66 runs when England looked to be cruising toward a win.

The Vaseline Controversy

Shabbir Ahmed raised eyebrows by suggesting the Indian pacers may have used Vaseline to enhance swing.

"I think India used Vaseline. After 80+ overs, the ball still shines like new. Umpire should send this ball to the lab for examination," he posted on X.

This is not the first time such allegations have surfaced. Former Pakistan pacer Hasan Raza had previously claimed that the ICC was providing India with a different type of ball, suggesting their pacers were getting more swing than others under similar conditions.

It’s worth noting that Shabbir Ahmed, who played 3 Tests and 10 ODIs for Pakistan, omitted the fact that Day 5 was played in seam-friendly, overcast conditions at The Oval, a factor known to naturally aid swing bowling.

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