Kolkata: It’s been a while since the Lord’s Test ended but time-wasting is still on India skipper Shubman Gill’s mind. It’s not all his own doing though.
Questions have been asked, articles have been written and the 25-year-old has seemingly not yet been able to move on. He is trying though.
For most of the press conference on Tuesday, Gill focussed on the fourth Test. The challenges posed for the India team by injuries to key players, the conditions, Rishabh Pant and more. But towards the end of the session, an English journalist once again brought up the “controversy”.
Gill, having had enough of the topic, said England deliberately delayed the game at Lord’s so that the visitors could bowl just one over in the last session of the third day. He also pointed out how England’s openers turned up 90 seconds late, a tactic that triggered a confrontation between the players. The scenes were replayed when India came out to bat in the fourth innings, with England coach Brendon McCullum seen signalling the players to turn up the chatter.
“A lot of people have been talking about it, so let me just clear the air, for once and for all,” said Gill at the pre-match press conference at Manchester on Tuesday. “The English batsmen on that day, they had seven minutes of play left, they were 90 seconds late to come to the crease, not 10, not 20, 90 seconds late.
“Yes, most of the teams use this (delaying tactic). Even if we were in a position, we would have also liked to play lesser overs, but there is a manner to do it, and we felt, yes if you get hit on your body, the physios are allowed to come on, and that is something that is fair. But to be able to come 90 seconds late on the crease, is not something that I would think, comes in the way of the spirit of the game.”
When Zak Crawley called on the physio after Jasprit Bumrah got the ball to hit his glove, things had become uglier as Gill was heard asking Crawley to man up and face the bowling. Though Gill said Crawley was within his rights to call upon the physio, he expressed his displeasure at how England were bent on wasting time. “Just leading up to that event, a lot of things that we thought should not have happened, had happened. And it’s not, I wouldn’t say it was something that I am very proud of. But there was a lead-up and build-up to that, it didn’t just come out of nowhere, and we had no intention of doing that whatsoever,” Gill said.
Distraction tactics
Just before the India press conference, England captain Ben Stokes fired off warning shots that they will not take a step back should things heat up.
“It’s not something that we’re going to purposely go out and look to start because then that will take our focus off what we actually need to do out in the middle. But by no means, we’re not going to take a backward step and let any opposition try to be confrontational towards us,” said Stokes.
“And not try to give a bit back. I think that goes for most teams, to be honest anyway. So, it’s not like we’re the only team who does that. But the series has been great to play. It has been great to watch. All five days, all three Tests so far,” he added.
Gill has been around enough to know that these are little more than distraction tactics. He must be careful not to get sucked in again. England will feel it worked for them in the third Test — the right-hander made 16 and 6 — and they will try to keep pushing the same buttons.
If Gill wants them to stop, he needs to show that banter, to put it politely, only gets the best out of him. Maybe then England will realise they are just wasting time.