ENG vs IND 2025: ‘Could’ve handled better’ – Kumble on Gill and Crawley’s argument at Lord’s

Anil Kumble, a former Indian cricketer, has backed Indian skipper Shubman Gill in confronting England opener Zak Crawley before Stumps on Day 3 of the third Test at Lord’s. Gill had a conversation with Crawley, who was apparently wasting time in an attempt to get Stumps called sooner.

While Kumble acknowledged that Gill was correct to approach Crawley, he also noted that the incident may have been handled differently. India lost the third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 by 22 runs at Lord’s. The former cricketer, on the other hand, appreciated Gill’s controlled comments during the post-match press conference, emphasising that he did not blame the loss on any one incident.

“Yes, I believed he led the squad well. Yes, he did not score runs. Unfortunately for him, being dismissed in the second innings would undoubtedly affect him. The conflict was fine, but as a skipper, you could have handled it differently. I am confident he will learn from such situations.

“He is still young,” Anil Kumble stated on Star Sports’ ‘Follow the Blues’.

“I loved Shubman’s press conference. I felt he handled the questions really well. He did not want to look at certain occurrences and conclude, ‘This is what certainly changed the game.’ He recognised that the transformation occurred as a result of the Rishabh Pant run-out, which was a significant occasion. Let us remember that was a pivotal time for India’s batting in the first innings,” he continued.

The veteran leg-spinner opined that Gill would be disappointed with his twin failures with the bat in the Lord’s Test, particularly his dismissal just before Stumps on Day 4. However, Kumble also noted that the 25-year-old would take heart from the way the Indian team fought throughout the match and would carry that confidence into the final couple of games of the tour.

“Shubman Gill would feel disappointed with his batting because he was in excellent form. He just had to survive that fourth day for him to just come and do what he does really well on Day 5,” the former India international opined.

“Otherwise, I think overall in terms of the way he handled the bowlers, maybe spinners early on in the first innings, but in the second innings, I thought he controlled the innings really well. He will be very happy with the way his team responded to the challenge. I am sure he will go confident going into the fourth and fifth Test matches,” he concluded on the issue.