India’s captain raised concerns over the heated incidents on day three of the Lord’s Test, accusing England’s openers of delaying their arrival to the crease by 90 seconds.
As the series moves on to Old Trafford after the Lord’s Test, tensions from the previous match are still fresh. Shubman Gill questioned England’s conduct during that game, alleging that the English openers deliberately took 90 seconds longer than necessary to come out and bat as a time-wasting tactic.
This unfolded on day three of the third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. After both teams finished their first innings tied, England went out to bat in their second innings late in the day. Jasprit Bumrah’s over saw Jack Crawley repeatedly delaying the game, which visibly frustrated Gill. From the slips, he was seen speaking sharply to the English opener.
Things escalated when Crawley called for the physio after getting a finger injury on the fourth ball of the over. Gill and several Indian players sarcastically applauded him, and Gill even sprinted towards Crawley in frustration. Despite India’s efforts to bowl another over, play was not possible beyond that point that day.
When India came out to bat in the fourth innings, England responded in kind. On the final day, as Washington Sundar took the crease, England coach Brendon McCullum was spotted in the Lord’s pavilion encouraging his players to sledging Sundar. The previous day, Washington had confidently told the media that India would win comfortably.
In a thrilling contest, England eventually secured a 22-run victory to take the series 2-1. Since then, the hosts have claimed that India provoked the sledging exchanges.
On the eve of the Old Trafford Test, Gill was asked about the incident during a press conference. He clarified that he wasn’t upset about Crawley calling for the physio but was frustrated by the time-wasting.
“Many people are talking about this, so I want to be clear. That day, England’s batsmen had seven minutes of play left. They came out 90 seconds late. Not 10 seconds, not 20, but 90 seconds!”
“Yes, most teams use such tactics to waste time. Even if we were in that position, we’d want to play fewer overs. But there’s a certain decorum to it. If there’s a genuine injury, the physio should be allowed on the field, and that’s fine. But coming to the crease 90 seconds late is not something that fits with the spirit of the game.”
