Former England cricketer Jonathan Trott criticised Shubman Gill's behaviour towards Zak Crawley in the final over of Day 3 of the Lord’s Test, calling it 'acting' and setting a bad tone.
With only six minutes left on the clock, the Indians were confident of bowling two overs before stumps, but Crawley took over a minute to take guard after the umpires had called play.
Then Crawley stopped India’s star pacer Jasprit Bumrah twice in his run-up. Once because he wasn’t ready, and then when he complained of movement behind the sight screen.
Infuriated by Crawley’s time-wasting tactics, Gill had heated exchange with the English opener. The confrontation could have turned uglier after the former, in some choicest language, requested Crawley to show some courage while facing Bumrah.
Gill even made an Impact Player gesture to suggest that Crawley should be substituted if he was injured when the latter called for a physio after being hit on the finger. This time, the lanky right-hander responded and he was joined by his fellow opener Ben Duckett.
Trott felt Gill took things too far with his aggressive charge towards Crawley. He also compared Gill's antics to those of former India captain Virat Kohli.
“A little bit of gamesmanship, but I think England, for me, we don’t know what went on when England were fielding, whether they were dishing it out. I don’t like the acting from Shubman Gill," Trott said while speaking on JioHotstar.
“I just think as a captain, you set the tone. As I’ve said before, you know, pointing fingers and getting a little bit confrontational, very much like a previous captain, sort of getting in the face of the opposition," he added.
“And I just don’t think that’s what it’s about. I think it sets a bad tone. And I’m up for being competitive and being tough on the field. I just think sometimes you’ve got to rise above it," he continued.
Former India captain Anil Kumble, who was also part of the discussion, offered a measured response.
“I haven’t seen Shubman so animated and going at the opposition. He said a few words in the first innings as well,” Kumble said.
