England’s batting legend Joe Root has shared his thoughts on the fiery incident between India’s new Test captain Shubman Gill and England opener Zak Crawley during the Lord’s Test of the recent five-match series. Root couldn’t resist taking a cheeky dig at Gill while recalling the controversy.
Shubman Gill’s First Series as Captain
The India-England series had plenty of drama both on and off the field. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from Test cricket earlier in the year, the responsibility of leading India’s red-ball team fell on the young shoulders of Shubman Gill. He embraced the role in style, piling up a record 754 runs in the series and guiding India to a 2-2 draw, which meant India retained the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
But in the Lord’s Test, emotions flared when Gill clashed with Crawley.
Tempers Flare on Day 3
On the third day of the match, as India bowled in England’s second innings, Shubman Gill lost his cool with Crawley. With the day nearing its close, Crawley slowed things down to ensure England wouldn’t lose a wicket before stumps. That tactic didn’t sit well with the Indian skipper, who stormed towards Crawley, hurled abuses, and nearly sparked a physical confrontation.
Joe Root has now revealed what he thought about the whole scene.
Joe Root’s Take on Gill’s Reaction
“It was quite amusing watching all that unfold, especially having seen Shubman getting a massage for ten minutes when he had cramps the day before. There are other things like these that happen during the game that add to the spectacle,” Joe Root said on the Barmy Army TV YouTube channel.
He added, “It’s not something you want to see all the time, where days get played out over only 60 overs because there are so many other things happening. But every now and then, something like that is good theatre as long as it doesn’t ruin the overall experience.”
“Great Drama” at Lord’s Cricket Ground
Despite Gill’s frustration, England went on to win the Lord’s Test, which is probably why Root looks back at the incident with a smile. He admitted that the clash added spice to the game.
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“I guess there is just an element of that in the way they do things. And as an opposition, it’s just making sure you have a very good method in combating that, whether that’s having a go back at them, like the incident at Lord’s with Zak that made that over about eight minutes long. Gill lost his temper, but it created great drama in the whole thing,” Joe Root said.
Shubman Gill Shines With the Bat
The heated exchange didn’t derail Gill’s form. He followed up the Lord’s game with another brilliant century, including a stunning 269 in Birmingham, which is already being hailed as one of the finest innings by an Indian on English soil.
Joe Root’s Own Record-Breaking Series
Root wasn’t far behind in terms of brilliance. The England star finished as the second-highest run-getter in the series with 537 runs in nine innings, averaging 67.12 with three centuries. He was second only to Gill in both runs and hundreds.
That tally also helped Root leapfrog Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run scorer in Test history. He now has 13,543 runs to his name, behind only the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, and his 39 Test centuries remain unmatched for England.
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