New Delhi: The third Test between India and England at Lordโs turned fiery in the final over of Day 3 as Shubman Gill lost his cool over what he felt was blatant time-wasting by Zak Crawley. With just minutes left before stumps, India hoped to squeeze in two overs, but Crawley took his time, delaying the play by taking guard for over 90 seconds after the umpires had called play.
The tension built further when Crawley twice stopped Jasprit Bumrah mid-run-up, citing reasons from not being ready to distraction behind the sight screen. It was clear the England opener wanted to ensure only one over would be bowled before close, something that left the Indian fielders visibly frustrated.
As the clock ticked towards 6:30 pm, Gill walked up to Crawley from the slips, exchanging sharp words and using hand gestures in a heated moment. The situation escalated when Crawley after facing five deliveries, called for the physio with one ball left in the day, which added to the suspicion that England were deliberately slowing things down.
Shubman Gill & Co. didnโt come to be played around, ๐ ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐, ๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ!#ENGvIND ๐ 3rd TEST, DAY 4 | SUN 13th JULY, 2:30 PM | Streaming on JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/ix13r7vtja
โ Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 12, 2025
Indian skipper didnโt hold back, making an โImpact Playerโ sign towards Crawley, suggesting he should get substituted if truly injured. Crawley snapped back, leading to a face-off. Ben Duckett joined in to support Crawley while KL Rahul had a few words before walking away. Bumrah and other Indian players were seen sarcastically clapping as Crawley continued to take his time between deliveries.
In the end, England survived the over and reached stumps at 2/0 after bowling India out for 387, matching their own first-innings total.
Criticism and Kumbleโs calm perspective
Former England batter Jonathan Trott criticised Gill for crossing the line and compared his actions to those of a โprevious Indian captain.โ The indirect reference to Virat Kohli was clear, with Trott remarking that Gillโs finger-pointing and aggressive approach โset a bad tone,โ though he admitted it would add spice to the remainder of the Test.
Meanwhile, Anil Kumble, who had coached Kohli early in his captaincy days took a measured view as he pointed out that England probably didnโt want to face any overs at all, reflecting on the tactical aspect rather than focusing on the aggression alone.
โAt the end of 2 and a half Tests, thereโs nothing much to differentiate. From an English point of view, they just wanted to face one over, maybe none at all,โ Kumble noted, hinting that while tempers flared, the series remains on a knifeโs edge heading into the crucial final days at Lordโs.