Shubman Gill blamed for charging up England at Lord's, ex-IND star questions skipper's attitude: ‘He’ll learn hard way'

Kaif didn't hold back and blamed Gill's fight for England getting charged up, as he advised the skipper to stick to the kind of attitude which works for him.

Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif has raised questions over Shubman Gill's attitude on the field as he feels that the Indian skipper's fight with Zak Crawley charged up England at Lord's. A heated exchange broke out between the Indian skipper and England opener Crawley in the final moments of Day 3 at Lord’s.

Shubman Gill had a heated altercation with Zak Crawley. (Action Images via Reuters)

After India levelled England’s first-innings total, Gill pushed to get in another over before stumps. However, Crawley appeared to deliberately slow things down—stepping away from the crease multiple times and calling for the physio after being struck on the glove, which left pacer Jasprit Bumrah and the Indian captain frustrated. Gill didn't hold back and used some explicit words for the English opener during the heated altercation. The Indian bowlers did hunt in a pack on Day 4 to bundle out England for 192 in the second innings, but in reply, they failed to chase down the target and were left 22 runs short. Ben Stokes and Co. came out on Day 5 with a noticeably more aggressive mindset, determined to put the Indian batters under pressure—and they succeeded in doing just that.

Kaif didn't hold back and blamed Gill's fight for England getting charged up, as he advised the Indian skipper to stick to the kind of attitude which works for him.

"Shubman Gill's fight with Zak Crawley charged England. After Edgbaston, there were questions about their batting, bowling and captaincy. But that incident fired up Stokes and he bowled an inspiring spells. It is wise to stick to the attitude that works for you. Gill will learn this the hard way," Kaif wrote on X.

India failed to chase 193 at Lord's

Meanwhile, chasing a target of 193, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah stitched together a gritty 35-run stand over 22 overs for the ninth wicket. After Bumrah's dismissal, Jadeja found support in Mohammed Siraj, and the pair added another 23 runs in 13 overs, dragging the match deep into the final session.

India were just 5.1 overs away from forcing England to take the second new ball when Siraj was bowled after dragging one onto his stumps. The visitors fell agonisingly short by 22 runs, slipping to a 2-1 deficit in the five-match series, and were left to rue what might have been.

Reflecting on the tense finish, Shubman Gill said, “When Bumrah Bhai and Jaddu Bhai were batting, you could see the pressure building on them (England) every five or six runs. That’s all it was—just small partnerships adding up.”