The Lord's Test battle between India and England have seen it all, including a 'bit of theatrics' as a drama unfolded on the day three of the third Test. After India matched England’s 387, the opener Zak Crawley appeared to deliberately slow things down to avoid facing more than one over before stumps and it was a move that didn’t sit well with India skipper Shubman Gill, who was visibly frustrated.
Crawley drew criticism late on Day 3 after repeatedly stepping away from the crease and calling for physio attention despite minimal contact with the ball. His actions delayed play just enough to deny Jasprit Bumrah a second over delivery, who didn't seem amused.
The Indian pacer clapped in sarcasm as the England opener seemingly faked pain in his hand after defending the ball from the middle of the bat.
Speaking after the close of play, England bowling consultant Tim Southee and India opener KL Rahul both weighed in on the dramatic end to the day.
Southee even pointed dig at India captain, who had lashed out at Zak Crawley for time-wasting highlighting Gill’s own extended break on Day 2, when he lay on the field for several minutes receiving treatment for cramps or stiffness during India’s fielding innings. Play was temporarily halted as the physio attended to Gill.
“It’s good. Always exciting to see both sides animated towards the end,” said Southee. Taking a jab at India, he added, “Not sure what they were complaining about when Gill was lying down getting a massage in the middle of the day yesterday. It’s obviously part of the game.”
Asked about Crawley in jest, South gave a tongue-in-cheek reply.
“Yeah, he (Crawley) will be assessed overnight. hope he'll be alright to carry on tomorrow."
Meanwhile, KL Rahul said Crawley’s tactic was understandable considering he is an opener himself.
“What happened at the end is just part of the game now. I understand from an opening batter's point of view. I know exactly what was going on and everyone knows exactly what was going on. But an opening batter will understand completely what happened in the last five minutes,” he said.
Gill too was fired up and his raw emotions reflected on the audio from the stump mic.
“I have seen him fired up but obviously we wanted to bowl two overs. There were six minutes left. Obviously, two overs is a no-brainer that any team will bowl two overs with six minutes to go.
“It's a bit of theatrics at the end. We were all pumped up either way because we know how difficult it is for a batter to come in to bat for two overs when you have been in the field all day. We were hoping we could get a wicket there and a wicket at the end of the day's play would have been perfect for us,” added Rahul.
As the Test heads into Day 4, the drama is only expected to rise, with both sides fully aware of how much is at stake. The five-match series is currently level at 1-1, and this 3rd Test is evenly poised as well, with both sides having posted identical first-innings scores of 387. England reached 2/0 before stumps on Day 3 and will resume today with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett at the crease.
(With PTI inputs)
