As the third India vs England Test at Lord's cricket stadium reaches its business end, things have heated up between the two sides.
With the series delicately poised at 1-1, both teams are pushing hard for the upper hand and emotions are spilling over.
Day 3 ended in chaos as India captain Shubman Gill erupted at Zak Crawley in a fiery exchange that has lit up the Test match.
Tensions rise, Gill mocks English opener in a heated exchange during IND vs ENG Tests
India ended their first innings at 387, with scores level with England. With just 6 minutes left for the end of the day's play, the English openers had to come out to bat and survive a tricky period.
England’s openers Crawley and Ben Duckett attempted to stifle India’s push for the final two overs. Crawley was trying to kill time, stepping away from the crease repeatedly.
It all began before the third ball of the final over, when Crawley stopped Bumrah in his run-up, signaling some movement behind the sight screen. Frustrated by what appeared to be a deliberate approach to kill time, the Indian players, including skipper Gill, were clearly unhappy as Gill unleashed his scorching verbal shot, “Grow some b***s.”
The verbal spat did not end there, but further escalated when Crawley called for a physio after getting hit on the fingers by the second last ball of Bumrah. Visibly upset, Gill stormed towards Crawley in a dramatic confrontation and was also seen having a heated exchange with Ben Duckett.
The moment also led to a fired-up Indian side, with nearly the entire team surrounding the two English openers and exchanging words.
The confrontation highlighted the razor-thin margins of Test cricket, where each over counts. An extra over then could well have led to a wicket for India and shifted the momentum towards the visitors.
Gill’s fiery reaction and subsequent charge at Crawley have lit up the Lord's Test. With two days left in the game and a fired-up Indian side, fans are definitely in for a spicy battle between two great sides.