Follow UsTill the last session of day three of the third Test at Lord’s, the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy looked like a friendly affair. But the last hour of play on day three suddenly transformed this series into a war, when Indian skipper Shubman Gill asked England opener Zak Crawley to ‘grow some ****ing *alls*.
It immediately increased the spice levels up a thousand times, as England sledged the Indian batters extensively on the fifth day at Lord's en route to a 22-run win over India. The series hasn’t looked back since then, as tempers have flown left and right.
Looking back at that eight-minute passage, Crawley revealed that he enjoyed it.
“I've always enjoyed that part of cricket, to be honest, especially when you're batting. There's two of you against eleven and they're desperate to get you out, and they're chirping you,” Crawley said after day two’s play at Manchester.
“Most of the time, I'd probably let it slide, and then other times, I feel like it's a good chance to put it back on them. I loved that little eight-minute passage. No-one stepped over the line. I thought everyone was in good spirits. It was just competitive cricket, and I really enjoyed it,” he added.
In the lead-up to the Manchester Test, Gill revealed the reason behind his outburst, stating that the English openers were 90 seconds late while coming out to bat. However, Crawley insisted that it wasn’t ‘intentional’, adding that it was fair enough then on Gill’s part.
“No, it wasn’t intentional. I sit in my spot until the umpires go out. I walked out when I saw them go. I wasn’t aware we were 90 seconds late, but fair enough,” he said.