Mohammad Kaif Slams Shubman Gill After India’s Lord’s Collapse,'He’ll Learn the Hard Way...'

Shubman Gill’s fiery altercation with Zak Crawley at Lord’s sparked England’s comeback, drawing sharp criticism over his captaincy attitude after India’s narrow 22-run loss in the third Test.

At the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground—often dubbed the ‘Home of Cricket’—a moment of emotional recklessness may have tipped the balance of the third Test in England’s favour. Shubman Gill, India’s young captain hailed for his elegance and poise, found himself at the center of a heated altercation with Zak Crawley at the end of Day 3. What began as a time-wasting tactic by the England opener spiraled into a fiery exchange, with Gill unleashing a verbal barrage—an outburst that, according to multiple former cricketers, charged up the English camp.

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif didn’t mince words. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Kaif remarked, “Shubman Gill's fight with Zak Crawley charged England… That incident fired up Stokes and he bowled an inspiring spell.” His advice to Gill was blunt yet instructive: stick to the temperament that suits you best, or learn the hard way.

Day 4 Fallout: Stokes Strikes, India Stumbles

Kaif’s observation found immediate validation. England, who appeared rattled and disjointed in the first innings, emerged on Day 4 with newfound aggression. Ben Stokes, often the emotional engine of English cricket, responded with venom—unleashing a hostile spell that pegged back the Indian top order.

From an analytical standpoint, this was more than just adrenaline—it was tactical retribution. England capitalized on Gill’s momentary lapse in composure. Michael Vaughan, writing in The Telegraph, noted Gill’s body language had changed. “He didn’t look technically tight or calm as usual,” the former England captain wrote, underscoring how mental pressure altered Gill’s performance arc.

Despite earlier heroics in the series—an Edgbaston double hundred and a ton in Birmingham—Gill managed only 16 and 6 at Lord’s. His second-innings dismissal—trapped LBW by Brydon Carse—was a textbook example of a batter not quite in the present moment, possibly still consumed by the events of the previous evening.

Tail-End Resistance and a Tense Finish

If India fell short, it wasn’t without a fight. Chasing 193, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah stitched together a stoic 35-run stand that lasted 22 overs—blunting England’s momentum. When Bumrah perished, Siraj joined Jadeja, and the pair added another 23 runs, dragging the contest deep into the final hour.

They were just 5.1 overs away from forcing England to take the second new ball when Siraj dragged one onto his stumps. India fell short by 22 runs. From a pure cricketing lens, the narrow loss was a masterclass in England’s ability to exploit emotional cues and shift gears strategically.

Gill later reflected on the tense finish: “When Bumrah Bhai and Jaddu Bhai were batting, you could see the pressure building on them every five or six runs. That’s all it was—just small partnerships adding up.” But the damage had already been done—mentally, and on the scoreboard.

Mental Warfare: The New Frontier in Test Cricket

Beyond the scoreboard, this Test match reaffirmed how psychological warfare is as critical as technical execution. Australian women’s team captain Alyssa Healy echoed this sentiment on the Willow Talk podcast: “There’s a way to get under Gill’s skin… If England even sniff a little bit of weakness there, they’ll ram that home.”

England did just that—and did it ruthlessly. They sensed a crack in the Indian skipper’s armor and kept chipping away. It’s the classic Test cricket mantra: target the captain, unsettle the leader, and the dominoes may follow.