Jonathan Trott criticised Shubman Gill for his aggressive behaviour towards Zak Crawley, drawing comparisons to Virat Kohli’s confrontational style. In response, Anil Kumble defended India and took a subtle dig at England’s time-wasting tactics.
Shubman Gill Explodes at Zak Crawley in Fiery End to Day 3
The India vs England third Test — and possibly the series itself — took a fiery turn in the final over of Day 3 at Lord’s. Tensions flared as India captain Shubman Gill lost his cool over what he believed was blatant time-wasting by England opener Zak Crawley. With just six minutes remaining, India were confident of bowling two overs before stumps, but Crawley delayed proceedings significantly.
Crawley took 90 seconds to take guard after the umpire had called play, then disrupted Jasprit Bumrah’s run-up twice — once for not being ready and again due to movement near the sight screen. This visibly infuriated the Indian fielders, and Gill, fielding in the slips, unleashed a barrage of expletives and obscene gestures toward Crawley.
Things escalated further after Bumrah bowled five deliveries and Crawley summoned the physio, seemingly to run down the clock. With the clock already touching the official close time of 6:30 pm, India’s players swarmed the pitch. Shubman Gill stormed toward Crawley, suggesting with hand gestures that he should be replaced as an ‘Impact Player’ if genuinely hurt. Crawley retaliated, leading to a face-off between Gill and Ben Duckett, Crawley’s partner. KL Rahul also exchanged words before walking away.
The flashpoint appeared inevitable, as repeated unscheduled drinks breaks and interruptions during India’s innings had already built up frustration.
Always annoying when you can't get another over in before close 🙄 pic.twitter.com/3Goknoe2n5
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 12, 2025
The upshot was that England ended up facing only one over before reaching stumps, narrowly ahead at 2/0 — a move that clearly frustrated the Indian camp and left tensions simmering as the teams walked off.
Shubman Gill’s Virat Kohli-like behaviour slammed; Anil Kumble bites back at England
Former England batter Jonathan Trott criticised India captain Shubman Gill for his heated confrontation with Zak Crawley at the end of Day 3 of the Lord’s Test, accusing him of taking things too far. Speaking on JioHotstar, Trott likened Gill’s conduct to that of a “previous Indian captain” — a thinly veiled reference to Virat Kohli — known for his fiery demeanour.
“A little bit of gamesmanship, but I don’t like the acting from Shubman Gill,” Trott remarked. “As a captain, you set the tone. Pointing fingers and getting confrontational, very much like a previous captain — sort of getting in the face of the opposition. I just think that sets a bad tone. I’m all for being competitive, but sometimes you have to rise above it.”
While Trott condemned the theatrics, he acknowledged that the altercation sets up an intriguing Day 4.
Meanwhile, former India captain and coach Anil Kumble offered a more measured view, suggesting England were merely trying to avoid facing any overs before stumps. “From an English point of view, they wanted to just face one over. Probably they didn’t even want to face that,” Kumble said, referencing how even Jofra Archer appeared disappointed after taking a late wicket. “At the halfway mark in the series, there’s really nothing to separate the two sides. The next two days will be very exciting.”
Notably, Virat Kohli, during his captaincy, was known for his aggressive, in-your-face leadership style — a trait that often ignited passionate battles on the field and inspired his team to rise to the occasion. Whether Gill’s actions signal a similar mindset or a one-off incident remains to be seen.