Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has supported India skipper Shubman Gill after his heated exchange with England openers during the third Test at Lord’s. Gill was involved in an on-field argument with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett late on Day 3 after England took time to begin their second innings. India had just matched England’s first-innings total of 387 and hoped to bowl two overs before stumps, but were left frustrated.
Reviewing the incident, Ponting told Sanjana Ganesan that he was surprised by Gill’s aggression but understood the reason behind it. “That was a little out of character from what I’ve known from Shubman in the past,” Ponting said. “I am sure everyone that was there watching it and I know you would know him quite well, that’s not what he’s generally like,” said Ponting, speaking on The ICC Review. He added, “That’s the captain standing up for his team, that’s a captain really wanting to show that it’s his team now and this is the way that we’re going to play the game, and also, I guess, wanting to give a little bit back.” Ponting, who has captained in England, said the pressure of playing there can be intense. “The UK can be a hard place to play. The crowds, as much as they love their game, can be as hostile a place to play as anywhere in the world. “The media there, when you’re in a big series, when it’s an Ashes series or when it’s England and India, the media always feel like they’re right on top of your back as well.” He also compared Gill’s leadership approach to that of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. “I think that’s him starting to put his stamp on his team. And a lot like Virat did, similar ways like that. Rohit probably was never as outwardly aggressive, I guess, especially to opposition players.”
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Do you think Shubman Gill’s aggression was justified during the heated exchange at Lord’s?
“I know he would quite often get aggressive with his teammates and try to bring the best out of them that way. But I love watching Shubman stand up for what he thought was right in the game last week,” said the veteran.England lead the five-match series 2-1, after India lost the third Test by 22 runs. With the fourth Test set to begin on 23 July in Manchester, both sides will be desperate to clinch the crucial win.
