India captain Shubman Gill found himself at the centre of a rather ironic moment during the opening session of Day 1 in the Lord's Test. Moments after being heard on the stump mic voicing his frustration over field placements, Gill shelled a sharp chance at gully.
In the 14th over of the innings, Nitish Kumar Reddy got one to wobble off the seam and draw Ollie Pope into a loose drive off the batter's very first delivery. Gill, stationed at gully, flung himself to his right but could only get one hand to it. Though a tough chance, replays suggested the effort might’ve been easier with both hands. The Indian skipper had his hands on his head instantly, aware of the missed opportunity.
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Adding to the irony, stump mic audio ahead of the delivery had Gill animatedly instructing the field, possibly also addressing wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. He expressed his frustration and urged the fielders to return to their positions quickly.
{{/usCountry}}Adding to the irony, stump mic audio ahead of the delivery had Gill animatedly instructing the field, possibly also addressing wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. He expressed his frustration and urged the fielders to return to their positions quickly.
{{/usCountry}}Nitish Reddy, however, ensured that the frustration at the drop didn't last long. After dismissing Ben Duckett previously in the over, Nitish then dismissed Zak Crawley on the final ball, sparking wild celebrations and salvaging what could have been a momentum-sapping moment.
Reddy’s double-strike in a single over turned a potentially frustrating passage into a breakthrough moment for India. Duckett and Crawley had looked relatively settled, but the 22-year-old Reddy broke their rhythm in style. The all-rounder was the fourth bowler used by Gill within just 14 overs, with Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj all troubling the openers but unable to make a breakthrough.
England opted to bat
England won the toss and opted to bat first on a good-looking Lord’s surface. The early passage of the play showed relatively lower bounce, with Bumrah even telling Rishabh Pant right after the fourth delivery of the match to come closer to the stumps.
Earlier in the day, cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar also rang the iconic Lord’s bell for the first time in his career. The bell ringing marked the start of play in the third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy; the series is currently level at 1-1.