Former England cricketer supports Shubman Gill as he slams Zak Crawley for Lord's episode: 'This was particularly poor'

Former England cricketer Mark Ramprakash has sided with Indian captain Shubman Gill after his aggressive behaviour against Zak Crawley on Day 3 of the Lord’s Test was questioned by experts and fans. Gill was seen throwing expletives at Crawley as the opener tried to delay the Jasprit Bumrah over.

With very little time left, India were hoping to bowl at least two overs, but Crawley’s time-wasting tactics limited them to a single over. That Crawley vs Gill spat changed the complexion of the whole match as both sides became more aggressive in their approach before India lost the match by a narrow margin of 22 runs, going down 2-1 in the five-match series.

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On the eve of the fourth Test in Manchester, Gill defended his actions , explaining that he had good reasons to lose his patience on that evening at Lord’s.

Mark Ramprakash sides with Gill in battle vs Crawley

Former England batter Mark Ramprakash, in his Guardian column, slammed Crawley for his antics and also criticised the umpires for losing control of the match

“Batters at the end of a long day are always prone to pulling away or tying up a shoelace, but this was particularly poor and it really exposed the umpires, who throughout the match seemed most intent on keeping quiet and not getting involved,” Ramprakash wrote.

“On the Saturday, I watched England bowl for an hour, by the end of which they were four overs behind the rate, at which point they had the most leisurely drinks break. It seemed to take forever as the players milled around, had a chat, and sat down for a bit. There was no urgency at all, and the umpires just let it carry on,” he added.

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Ramprakash also reflected on Gill’s behaviour, saying that while he didn’t like what he saw, it gave a glimpse of how united Team India were.

“Many people would say Crawley was just being professional, doing whatever it took to help his side, and if the umpires weren’t bothered, then carry on. But I thought he pushed things too far and what can happen then, and did happen, is the opposition taking umbrage and discipline started breaking down," Ramprakash wrote.

“Shubman Gill, the India captain, got quite animated, and to be honest, I didn’t know he had that in him. Importantly, he was backed up by the rest of his players – it is in moments such as this that you see how together a team are. While I was not a fan of what happened, Gill saw his team were right there with him and showed real togetherness,” he added.