Shubman Gill blamed for encouraging double-standards in fiery response by England: ‘He was lying, getting a massage’

The India captain had accused Zak Crawley of wasting time, but England's bowling coach Tim Southee insisted Shubman Gill had no right to complain.

England called out Shubman Gill's hypocrisy following his flare-up with opener Zak Crawley during the final over of Day 3 at Lord's. The India captain had accused Crawley of wasting time, but England's bowling coach Tim Southee insisted Gill had no right to complain.

India's captain Shubman Gill fields during the third cricket test match between England and India at Lord's cricket ground in London (AP)

The Indian camp appeared visibly frustrated after Crawley halted play twice in the first over of England's second innings, which began with just six minutes left on the clock following India's effort to match the hosts' first-innings total of 387.

The first incident occurred on the third ball from Jasprit Bumrah when Crawley pulled away due to movement near the sight screen. Visibly agitated, Gill told the batter, "Grow some f***ing balls." Two balls later, Crawley called for medical assistance after being struck on the glove by a length delivery. While several Indian players responded with sarcastic applause as they walked past, Gill engaged in a heated exchange with the England batter.

Reacting to Gill's act, Southee hit back at the 25-year-old with the time-wasting allegations, saying that he spent several minutes receiving treatment during India's fielding innings on Day 2.

"It's always exciting to see both sides animated towards the end. I'm not sure what they were complaining about when Shubman Gill was lying down getting a massage in the middle of the day yesterday. It's obviously part of the game [when] you're near the end of the day. It's an exciting way to finish the day," the former New Zealand fast bowler told the media at the end of Day 3 in London.

Southee further added that Crawley would be "assessed overnight" for the injury he incurred during that final over, before adding that the incident showed the "energy" of the series.

"Both sides have played some good cricket and in a good spirit, and tonight was just a bit of energy towards the end of the day," he said. "It's been a long three days, and it was good to see the energy still there from both sides."

Over three days of action thus far in the Test match, 32 overs have been lost due to various reasons. Southee defended the slow-over rate and said, "It's never ideal, I don't think, but it's obviously been hot so there's been probably more drinks than usual. There's been a number of stoppages with the ball also, and DRS takes its time. But yeah, to lose that much, it's probably at the extreme level."