High drama unfolded at Lord’s as Day 3 of the third Test between India and England ended with tempers flaring and Shubman Gill front and centre of a fiery on-field confrontation.
With just minutes left in the day and the match delicately poised, Gill clashed with England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, accusing them of deliberately wasting time.
What followed was a tense exchange, animated gestures, sarcastic applause — and a throwback to the kind of fire Virat Kohli often brought to the game.
After India were bowled out for 387 — matching England's first-innings total — the hosts came out to bat with only a few minutes remaining in the day. But their apparent reluctance to face a full over irked the Indian players, with Crawley and Duckett seemingly intent on running down the clock. Jasprit Bumrah had the ball, and tensions soared almost immediately.
Crawley repeatedly stepped away just as Bumrah was about to deliver, drawing visible frustration from the bowler and the Indian slip cordon. Gill, fielding in the slips, didn’t hold back. He stormed towards the batter, making a sharp hand gesture and reportedly telling Crawley, ‘Grow some f****** b****.’
The mind games continued. Crawley took a blow on the glove and called for the physio, prompting Gill to throw up an exaggerated ‘X’ gesture in mockery.
Moments later, the Indian players broke into sarcastic applause as the England opener received attention. The standoff only grew more intense as Crawley and Gill exchanged words, with Duckett joining in briefly before play resumed.
On the final delivery of the day, Bumrah delivered a vicious rising ball, but England survived to stumps at 2 for no loss — holding a slender two-run lead on a pitch showing signs of variable bounce and turn.
Former England captain Michael Atherton, speaking on Sky Sports, revelled in the end-of-day drama.
‘It felt like five minutes where I wouldn't mind being out there! It was brilliant drama, great theatre. Harry Brook was laughing his head off on the England balcony when we looked up,’ said Atherton.
‘There was a bit of chit-chat, but I didn't mind that. It was a red-blooded contest, and you have to give players a bit of leeway. I loved watching it. I thought it was a fantastic end to a nip-and-tuck day.’
The confrontation drew comparisons with Virat Kohli’s combative captaincy, with fans online calling Gill a ‘rue student of Kohli’ for standing up aggressively in a crunch moment.
With two evenly matched teams, high stakes, and emotions running hot, the Lord’s Test is now perfectly poised for a fiery finish. Expect more sparks on Day 4.
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