Shubman Gill has already shown that he can lead with the bat, smashing a century and a double hundred in the second Test against England. But in the third Test at Lord’s, he showed he’s just as sharp as a captain, making smart moves and playing a few mind games too.
Shubman Gill Steps Up as a Tactical Leader
In the first session on Thursday, Shubman Gill made a clever bowling change in the 14th over, bringing on Nitish Kumar Reddy. The move paid off instantly, as the fast-bowling all-rounder picked up two big wickets in one over.
Then, in the second session, when England started playing it safe, Shubman Gill took the opportunity to have a bit of fun. He taunted Joe Root and Ollie Pope, saying, “No more entertaining cricket. Welcome back to the boring Test cricket.” England, usually known for their aggressive Bazball style, slowed down and managed only 70 runs in 24 overs, scoring at just under 3 runs per over.
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England Slow Things Down in Second Session
At tea, England were 153 for two, with Root and Pope settling in. Root was batting on 54 from 109 balls, while Pope was on 44 from 103. Both went back to traditional Test match batting, leaving deliveries outside off-stump and focusing on not losing wickets.
India did well to control the scoring rate, but they had a bit of a scare when wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant had to leave the field after a ball from Jasprit Bumrah hit his left fingers. Dhruv Jurel stepped in behind the stumps.
Earlier in the day, Nitish Kumar Reddy had given India a strong start with the ball. In one impressive over, he got both Duckett and Crawley out, leaving England at 83 for two by lunch.
As expected, India made just one change to their playing XI, bringing in Bumrah for Prasidh Krishna. England captain Ben Stokes, in a rare move during the Bazball era, chose to bat first at home.
India’s pace trio, Bumrah, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj, bowled well early on, but England openers Ben Duckett (23 off 40) and Zak Crawley (18 off 43) managed to hold firm for the first hour, reaching 39 without loss after 13 overs.
The slope at Lord’s made things tricky, and Indian bowlers needed some time to adjust. Bumrah bowled from both the Pavilion and Nursery Ends, while Akash Deep, fresh off a 10-wicket haul at Edgbaston, took the new ball from the Nursery End.
Shubman Gill could have brought Akash Deep back after the first hour, but he gave Reddy a go instead, and it turned out to be a great call.
Reddy’s first wicket was a bit lucky as Duckett gloved a short ball down the leg side to the keeper. The very next ball, Pope almost got out too, but Gill couldn’t quite hold on to a tough chance at gully.
Then came the big one. Zak Crawley edged a lovely delivery that moved just enough off the seam, and the keeper took a clean catch. It was a fantastic way to finish the over.
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