India's cricket captain Shubman Gill has levelled serious allegations against England, claiming they violated cricket's unwritten codes during the third Test at Lord's.
The controversy centres on England's opening batsmen arriving a minute and a half behind schedule to begin their innings on the third evening.
With just seven minutes of play remaining, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley's delayed arrival meant India could bowl merely a single over.
Gill insisted the 90-second delay crossed acceptable boundaries of gamesmanship.
Reuters
|India captain Shubman Gill hit out at England after a fiery Test at Lord's
"To be able to come 90 seconds late to the crease is not something that comes in the spirit of the game," the Indian skipper stated on Tuesday.
The flashpoint escalated when Crawley sought medical attention after being struck on the hand by Jasprit Bumrah.
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This prompted Gill to unleash a verbal tirade, telling the Kent batsman to "grow some f***ing balls" in an on-field outburst.
The Indian captain later acknowledged his reaction wasn't his proudest moment.
"Leading up to that event, a lot of things that we thought should not have happened had happened," Gill explained.
He revealed mounting frustrations had preceded the confrontation. "We had no intention of doing that whatsoever but you're playing a game, you're playing to win and there are a lot of emotions," he said.
England's captain Ben Stokes responded diplomatically, stating his side wouldn't deliberately seek confrontation but wouldn't retreat from any hostility either.
"By no means, we are not going to take a backward step and let any opposition try and be confrontational towards us and not try to give a bit back," Stokes remarked.
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Reuters
|Zak Crawley and Shubman Gill clashed in the last Test at Lord's
Harry Brook disclosed that England's coach Brendon McCullum had urged the team to abandon their "too nice" approach before the Lord's Test.
The Yorkshire batsman revealed the incident sparked England's more aggressive stance during India's unsuccessful pursuit of 193 runs.
England secured victory by 22 runs, establishing a 2-1 advantage in the five-match series.
The spirit of cricket represents longstanding traditions about proper conduct, though interpretations often differ between teams.
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The fourth Test commences on Wednesday at Emirates Old Trafford, with England needing victory to clinch the series.
Gill acknowledged that most teams employ delaying tactics when beneficial, but maintained there are appropriate methods for doing so.