Former England cricketer Jonathan Trott has slammed India captain Shubman Gill for gesticulating towards Zak Crawley and shouting an expletive in his direction in the last over of Day 3 of the Lord’s Test.Opener Zak Crawley repeatedly delayed bowler Jasprit Bumrah and called for a physio after being hit on the finger, successfully ensuring that he and Ben Duckett had to face only one over before the close of play, instead of two. Crawley’s time-wasting tactics infuriated Gill and his teammates.Gill pointed his finger at Crawley and told him to “grow some f***ing balls.” Duckett quickly intervened, positioning himself between them, but the verbal exchange continued. A ball later, Gill rushed to Crawley and held his arms up in an X. Crawley responded by waving a finger at Gill.Trott compared Gill’s antics to those of former India captain Virat Kohli.“We don’t know what went on when England were fielding, whether they were dishing it out. But I don’t like the acting from Shubman Gill; as a captain, you set the tone,” Trott said on JioCinema.
“Pointing fingers and getting very confrontational — very much like a previous captain — getting in the face of the opposition.“I’m all for being competitive and tough on the field, but sometimes you have to rise above it. It sets up nicely for tomorrow’s play.”The third Test between India and England is finely balanced, with no clear favourite at this stage.KL Rahul racked up his second hundred at the iconic Lord’s before India matched England’s first-innings total of 387 on an attritional day, leaving the game on an even keel on a deteriorating pitch.
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Do you think Shubman Gill’s reaction towards Zak Crawley was justified?
Besides Rahul’s high-quality effort (100 off 177), Ravindra Jadeja (72 off 131) and Rishabh Pant (74 off 112) propped up India’s first-innings total.It will be a challenge for India to bat last on a surface where the odd ball is taking off after pitching and is offering some turn.
