New India Test captain Shubman Gill continues to receive flak on his aggressive approach, which was shown during the third Test against England at Lord’s, where things got heated between him and English opener Zak Crawley. On the evening of Day 3, tempers rose when Crawley tried to run down the clock. Shubman Gill, usually a calm one on the field, was seen furious at Crawley’s tactics and had a heated exchange with him.
All eyes will be on Shubman Gill when India get down to action against England in Manchester on Wednesday for the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. After losing the first Test in Leeds, India made a great comeback at Birmingham with captain Shubman Gill returning with a double ton and a century. Then in the third Test at Lord’s, India lost by 22 runs but what hogged the limelight was Shubman Gill’s animated reaction when Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett were dilly-dallying the Play on Day 3.
Shubman Gill tears into Zak Crawley for late evening drama at Lord’s on Day 3
The third day of the Lord’s Test ended in chaos and sarcasm as England opener Zak Crawley used every second possible to avoid facing a second over before stumps. But what truly lit up the post-match narrative was Tim Southee’s subtle jab at Indian skipper Shubman Gill — for complaining about time-wasting while having done something similar a day earlier.
With scores level at 387 apiece and six minutes left on the clock, India hoped to bowl two overs at the England openers before stumps. But Zak Crawley took his time — adjusting to sight screen issues and then claiming discomfort after a ball struck his glove, despite no visible damage. Jasprit Bumrah responded with sarcastic clapping, and Shubman Gill, fired up and vocal, could be heard telling Crawley to “be brave and bat.”
India captain Shubman Gill tore into England opener Zak Crawley in late drama at Lord’s on July 12. Zak Crawley, batting in England’s 2nd innings, tried to delay the proceedings in the final minutes of Day 3 at Lord’s. The India captain, Shubman, who wanted his pacers to bowl 2 overs in the low evening light noted Crawley’s delay tactics. Angry and unsatisfied, Shubman Gill, walked up to the England opener and chimed in: grow some balls!
The unsavoury dig was made after Crawley continually tried to walk away when Jasprit Bumrah was bowling India’s first over of the 2nd innings. Two overs were scheduled to be played in England’s final innings on Day 3, but Crawley’s delay tactics meant that India could only bowl one over against England in the final moments of the game.
After walking away for a couple of balls, Crawley called in for the physio after getting hit on the gloves by Bumrah’s 5th ball of the over. The furious Indian team walked straight up to Crawley’s face and had several words to say.The crowd joined in on the drama and jeered the players at the end of yet another slow-moving day at Lord’s.
Mohammed Siraj and KL Rahul were two of the prominent players to hurl expletives at the English batters after they flirted with some dark arts to go unscathed on Day 4 of the 3rd Test match. The events led to a heated altercation between England openers Crawley and Ben Duckett as the entire team surrounded the two men in the middle.
Former India star Manoj Tiwary criticised Shubman Gill for ‘copying’ former India captain Virat Kohli. The latter skipper was known for his in-your-face attitude while leading Team India.
Manoj Tiwary slams Shubman Gill for his on field antics at Lord’s ahead of 4th Test at Manchester
Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary said that Shubman Gill is trying to copy Virat Kohli as the Test captain by bringing in aggression. Shubman Gill was at the forefront of the drama that unfolded late on Day three of the Lord’s Test as he went at England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett for time-wasting.
Ultimately, the sledging battle would be won by England, who went on to win the Test and take a 2-1 lead in the series. The match also saw Shubman Gill suffer a rare failure with the bat as he was dismissed for 16 and 6. Tiwary felt that the unwanted aggression didn’t help Shubman Gill with his batting and said he has been seeing the 25-year-old having an aggressive mindset in the IPL.
“I don’t like the way captain Gill is going about things. I think he is trying to copy what Virat did last time. And as a result, it is not helping his batting,” Tiwary told SportsBoom.com.
“Ever since he became a captain in the IPL, I have noticed that he is getting into an aggressive mindset, and having animated chats with umpires. It was unlike Gill. He doesn’t need to show that kind of aggression, and doesn’t have to prove anything.
“I know a captain should lead from the front, but this much aggression is not required. It takes your energy away.”
Manoj Tiwary said that Shubman Gill can be aggressive without giving it back verbally. The former cricketer feels that such aggression isn’t good for the game and he wasn’t happy with the language and words the players were using during the match.
“He can stick to his style of being aggressive. It doesn’t mean that you have to always give it back verbally. Aggression can also be shown by winning Test matches. India could have easily led the series 2-1. Such aggression is not good for the game, especially from the captain of the Indian cricket team,” Tiwary said.
“I am not happy with the language and words that are coming in the audio when they are near the stumps. You are representing the Indian cricket team. I think this has become a trend, as previous captains have probably used such words to express their anger, but this needs to be controlled. If you use slang, the next generation will pick it up.”
For India, winning the fourth Test is a must if they want to win the series. This is Shubman Gill’s first series as India captain. He took over the reigns of the team after Rohit Sharma retired as Test captain. India and England will square off in the Manchester Test from July 23.
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