London, July 13 Former England batter Jonathan Trott has criticised India captain Shubman Gill’s animated response to the English openers just before the close of Day 3 play of the Lord's Test and said being the captain, Gill should have shown restraint and set a better example.
With 10 minutes left at the end of day three’s play on Saturday, tempers began to flare up as Zak Crawley pulled away four times before facing the third ball from Jasprit Bumrah. A few choice words were exchanged by Gill, who believed England were employing time-wasting tactics. Crawley was then hit on the glove, so he took a moment to check his hand and called for the physio. Gill also had a heated argument with Ben Duckett.
Things began to heat up again as Gill made a sarcastic clap and gestured towards the pavilion, even as Crawley was checked for his injury, before being beaten by a seaming away delivery from Bumrah to end a fascinating day’s play.
Speaking about the on-field tension, Trott refers Gill's heated confrontation indirectly with ex-skipper Virat Kohli, who was known for his fiery and confrontational demeanour on the field, and suggests that Gill was displaying similar traits.
"A little bit of gamesmanship — and for me, we don’t know what went on when England were fielding, whether they were dishing it out. But I didn’t like the acting from Shubman Gill. As a captain, you set the tone, and as I have said before, pointing fingers and getting confrontational feels, reminiscent of a previous captain, who used to get in the opposition’s face.
"That is not what the game should be about. I am all for being competitive and tough on the field, but sometimes you have got to rise above it. That said, it certainly sets up a fascinating day tomorrow," Trott said on JioHostar.
Trott, however, praised the game awareness and shot selection shown by Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul during their 141-run partnership. "Just the way they put the bad balls away — it was impressive. At times, they were very watchful, especially when the England bowlers had their tails up. They knew how to defend, played good solid shots, and picked up singles when available."
"But the key was putting away the bad deliveries. That is always the sign of quality players — surviving the tough spells and then putting pressure back on the opposition when there is a mistake. We certainly saw both, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, do that really well," Trott said.
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