During the third day of the India vs England Test match at Lord’s, tensions rose in the final moments of play. Both teams had scored exactly 387 runs in their first innings, setting the stage for a highly competitive match. With only six minutes left in the day, India tried to fit in one more over. However, England opener Zak Crawley appeared to delay the game intentionally.
Crawley took around 90 seconds to get ready after the umpire called for play. He then interrupted Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling run-up twice, saying he wasn’t ready and later complaining about movement behind the sight screen.
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These delays irritated the Indian players, especially captain Shubman Gill. He confronted Crawley with words and gestures, expressing his frustration. After the fifth ball, Crawley said he was hit on the finger and called the physio, which many saw as another way to waste time. Gill responded by making a hand gesture indicating that Crawley should be substituted if he wasn’t fit to play.
The tension grew as England’s Ben Duckett also joined the argument. Gill and Duckett had a brief face-off before KL Rahul stepped in and calmed the situation. Even after the day’s play ended, both teams continued exchanging words, showing just how intense the match had become.
Former England cricketer Jonathan Trott, speaking on JioHotstar, criticized Gill’s behavior. He said Gill was behaving like a “previous captain,” referring to Virat Kohli, and called his actions “acting.” Trott said, “As a captain, you set the tone. Getting confrontational and pointing fingers isn’t always the right approach.”
While Trott acknowledged that competitiveness is part of the game, he felt Gill’s behavior set a bad example. However, he admitted that the heated moments would make for an exciting day of cricket ahead.
emotions ran high at Lord’s, and while some praised the passion, others felt it crossed the line.
