Mohammad Kaif, a former Indian cricketer, questioned Indian skipper Shubman Gill’s approach during the third Test against England at Lord’s. Kaif remarked that Gill’s on-field argument with Zak Crawley ahead of Stumps on Day 3 fuelled England and skipper Ben Stokes’ fierce performance on Day 5.
Gill accused Crawley of wasting time at the end of Day 3 and even got into a verbal altercation with the batter. However, the attitude did not benefit India, as the hosts won the match by 22 runs.
“Shubman Gill’s fight with Zak Crawley energised England.” Following Edgbaston, doubts were raised about their batting, bowling, and captaincy. But the incident drove Stokes up, and he bowled some brilliant spells. It is wise to maintain the mindset that works for you.
“Gill will learn the hard way,” Kaif wrote on X.
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…
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 15, 2025
Former England captain Michael Vaughan insisted that Gill did not look technically right and lacked calmness when he came out to bat on Day 4 in the second innings. Gill was in sublime form in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, as he scored a century in the first Test at Headingley and 430 runs across both innings in the Edgbaston Test.
But, the 25-year-old could manage only 16 and 6 in the Lord’s encounter, which India lost despite a fightback by Ravindra Jadeja and the lower-order batters.
“When things got spicy on the third evening, I felt that brought the best out of England for the remainder of the game. Shubman Gill did not look as technically tight or calm as usual when he came out to bat on the fourth evening, but his team fought so hard on Monday in a fabulous Test,” said Vaughan in his column in ‘The Telegraph’.
England lead the series 2-1, with the fourth match set to take place in Manchester from July 23 in a five-day fixture.
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