England lead the India series 2-1.
From centuries to five-wicket hauls, from iconic moments to intense banters, fans saw it all in the third Test between England and India at the Lord’s. The Indian team could not control their anger when the English players were wasting time during the final minutes of Day 3. As a result, a heated exchange took place between Shubman Gill and Zak Crawley. Later, Mohammed Siraj was also involved in a wild celebration and a shoulder clash.
The India Test captain used foul language and even went on to make inappropriate gestures. However, the ICC decided to punish Mohammed Siraj by imposing a fine. The right-arm pacer snared Ben Duckett in the second innings and then came up with a provocative and wild celebration. As the 31-year-old pacer dismissed Duckett, both players had a shoulder clash, which elicited a lot of criticism from the English fans.
The former England batter Nasser Hussain spoke about the same and reckoned that Siraj should not have been fined, as his celebration was quite decent.
“Siraj was fired up. I think he’s a better cricketer when he’s fired up. You’d love to have Siraj on the side. I didn’t think he should’ve been fined. He went close to the line, he was right in Duckett’s face, he didn’t barge [at] Duckett. If anything, Duckett went in that direction to get off the pitch. It wasn’t a shoulder barge. I think it’s a game of emotions, and you don’t need 22 robots. I love the tension,” Hussain opined in a Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.
During the fifth and final day of the Lord’s Test, Siraj witnessed agony as he was at the receiving end of a heart-wrenching dismissal. In the final innings of the match, India were a few runs away from taking a lead in the series. However, India didn’t have wickets in hand. During the last wicket partnership with Ravindra Jadeja, the Hyderabad-based player defended the ball perfectly. But the Dukes ball rolled sharply towards the stumps, resulting in India facing a 22-run defeat at Lord’s.
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The former England captain also added that at one point in time, when the English players were trying to act smart, India did not shy away from exchanging words.
“One of the highlights of the Test match, the way India went at Crawley. They [England openers] started 90 seconds later than they should have! They were very street-smart in the way they slowly walked down the stairs, pretending to get lost in the long room. India rightly went at them, and that obviously fired everyone up”, Hussain added.
Talking about the ongoing five-match Test series, the English team is now leading 2-1. They will be locking horns with the Indian team in the fourth match, starting from July 23 in Manchester. The likes of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah are likely to take part in the fourth Test, which is undoubtedly a must-win affair for the Indian team.
Under the leadership of Shubman Gill, the visitors will be looking for redemption. They have to win this game if they want to keep the series alive. The England team, on the other hand, will look to continue their winning momentum and clinch the series.
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