Daijiworld Media Network – London
London, Jul 13: Emotions ran high at Lord’s on the third day of the third Test between India and England as Indian skipper Shubman Gill launched into an expletive-filled verbal duel with England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett.
With 10 minutes left in the day’s play and the scores level after both teams posted 387 in their first innings, things turned tense. Crawley pulled away four times before facing Jasprit Bumrah, which irked Gill, who saw it as deliberate time-wasting. Heated words followed, and the tension only escalated when Crawley was struck on the glove and called for the physio.
Gill didn’t hold back — exchanging fiery words with Duckett and even clapping sarcastically and gesturing toward the pavilion while Crawley was being examined. Bumrah then beat Crawley with a peach of a delivery to end a drama-packed day.
Commenting on the confrontation, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar hinted at deeper reasons for the animosity. “Not a lot of England players are competing in the IPL. That’s my thinking. Joe Root didn’t play, Ben Stokes didn’t play. There’s not that camaraderie that you see with other teams,” Gavaskar said on air.
He added that players from teams like Australia and New Zealand have shared dressing rooms with Indians in the IPL, which has softened rivalries over time — something not as evident with England’s core squad.
Brief scores:
England 387 & 2/0 in 1 over (Zak Crawley 2 not out) lead India 387 all out in 119.2 overs (KL Rahul 100, Rishabh Pant 74, Ravindra Jadeja 72; Chris Woakes 3-84, Jofra Archer 2-52) by 2 runs.
With two days of high-octane cricket still left, the stage is set for a charged finale at the Home of Cricket.