England assistant coach says on-field tensions at Lord’s good for the game: ‘Cricket has got a bit more friendly’

The ongoing Test series between India and England has had its fair share of on-field flare-ups and controversies, including in the ongoing third Test at Lord's that is set to arrive at its conclusion on Monday. The latest among those was the confrontation between India captain Shubman Gill and England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in the final over of Day 3, as well as the heated clash between India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and England pacer Brydon Carse .

Also Read | 'Done for the series': Shubman Gill faces the heat from Ben Duckett after Zak Crawley spat

Pacer Mohammed Siraj even copped a fine for giving Duckett a fiery send-off after dismissing him on Day 4. Later in the day, England captain Ben Stokes and his teammates returned the favour to the Indian team for their time-wasting tactics shortly before stumps.

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Trescothick says on-field showdowns good for the international game

England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick, however, feels the on-field tensions have helped maintain the competitive edge in an era dominated by T20 leagues where cricketers from different nationalities have become increasingly friendlier with one another.

“Having that competitive edge definitely helps the situation. It helps the atmosphere in the series. Cricket has got a bit more friendly over the past few years because the players are together in franchise tournaments all over the world. Sometimes it’s good to create something in the game,” the former England opener said on Sunday.

“Both teams are passionate about playing the game and it is understandable that at times it gets to a boiling point. There will be things that happen between the two teams but both teams know there’s a line you can’t cross but it’s not really been troubled too much,” he added.

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India, meanwhile, finds itself on the verge of handing the series lead back to England on the final day of the third Test. Resuming from their overnight score of 58/4 after being set a tricky 193 to win, key batters Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul – who was batting on 33 overnight – departing in quick succession.

All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was dismissed for 13 at the stroke of lunch on the final day, with India ending the morning session at 112/8, with England needing two more wickets to go 2-1 up in the series.