Shastri slams Southee’s ‘hypocrite’ jibe at Shubman Gill

Day 3 of the ongoing India vs England Test witnessed tempers flare at Lord's. Zak Crawley irked the Indian camp with his tactics to stall the game. In response, Indian captain Shubman Gill hurled a barrage of gestures at the English batter, challenging him to step up and fight. Now, the antics of Gill and Crawley to conclude the day's play at Lord's have left the cricketing fraternity divided. Former New Zealand captain and current England bowling coach Tim Southee called Gill a 'hypocrite' while reflecting on the moment. In turn, former India head coach Ravi Shastri has come up with a fitting response to the English coach.

Ravi Shastri weighs in on the Gill-Crawley row, responds to Southee's accusation

Ravi Shastri, former India head coach, responded sharply to England bowling coach's assessment of Shubman Gill. Tim Southee spoke against Shubman Gill, labelling the Indian Test captain “hypocritical” for his behaviour during a tense final over on Day 3 of the ongoing Lord's Test. Shastri's reaction came just before the start of Day 4, with England resuming their second innings at 2 for 0 after India had levelled their first-innings score of 387.

The flashpoint occurred late on Saturday evening, when Zak Crawley twice pulled away as Jasprit Bumrah prepared to bowl. Gill, visibly agitated, was caught on camera mouthing expletives at the England opener the first time, and moments later, the situation escalated into a verbal confrontation between the two.

On the fourth ball of that over, Crawley sustained a blow to his fingers while fending off a delivery and called for medical attention. The Indian fielders, however, showed little empathy, suspecting that Crawley was trying to buy time, and made their displeasure clear. Tim Southee, in a press interaction, criticised Gill for reacting that way, especially since the Indian skipper had also received on-field treatment for back discomfort on Day 2. He accused Gill of displaying double standards.

"It's always exciting to see both sides animated towards the end. I'm not sure what they were complaining about when Shubman Gill was lying down getting a massage in the middle of the day yesterday. It's obviously part of the game when you're near the end of the day. It's an exciting way to finish the day," Southee had said.

Ravi Shastri, however, stood firmly in Gill’s corner. While speaking ahead of Day 4 of the third India vs England Test, he brushed aside Southee’s comments. The seasoned commentator stated that in similar circumstances, he would have acted the same way as Gill. England, having batted just a single over on Day 3, had added two runs without loss before stumps were called.

“If I were wearing the Indian hat, I would have done all that. We call that tamasha. All that is allowed and you want all that. You can't just have 'Good morning...good evening' and go home. A little bit of argy-bargy is okay as long as you don't cross the line,” Ravi Shastri said.