India call up discarded pacer before Lord's Test, bowls a long spell to captain Shubman Gill in the nets

Hindustan Times

10-07-2025

The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is heating up. The five-match series between India and England stands at 1-1, and both teams have everything to play for in the third Test at the Lord's Cricket Ground. Shubman Gill's India is leaving no stone unturned in preparing to the best of their ability. They are well aware that a win at the home of cricket will give them a serious advantage and a real chance of winning their first-ever series in the UK since 2007. Ahead of the third Test at Lord's, India called up discarded pacer and he had a bowl at captain Shubman Gill. (PTI)
On the eve of the Lord's Test, Shubman Gill, who is currently the leading run-scorer in the series, was seen grinding it out in the nets. However, what caught everyone's attention was the bowler he was facing. Deepak Chahar, who recently represented the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, was seen having a bowl at the India captain in the nets.
Chahar bowled a lengthy spell, and Gill grinded it out in the middle as he faced the discarded India pacer while training. According to ESPNCricinfo, Chahar was in the neighbourhood, and this was the main reason behind his coming to Lord's to train alongside the main squad.
Even before the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, the Indian squad was seen practising alongside Punjab Kings spinner Harpreet Brar. The latter then revealed that he, too, was in the nearby areas and was called upon by Shubman Gill.
Also Read: Shubman Gill not one of those who get trained for what to say in media, claims Ashwin
Chahar was spotted at the Lord's Cricket Ground for a few hours, and later he went his way after having a bowl. The right-arm pacer was also not wearing India's training gear.
What did Rishabh Pant say?
On the eve of the Lord's Test against England, India vice-captain Rishabh Pant addressed the media, discussing a wide range of topics. He stated that the team has not decided on the combination and that the final call will be made after examining the wicket.
"See, as a team, generally, what we plan is to play according to the conditions given to us. We don't want to think about what the opposition is thinking—whether they are changing their plans or not. Whatever they're doing, we'll do our best and do better from there. Simple," said Pant.
'The discussion was that England will give us better wickets because the kind of cricket that they play. So for us, the mantra was to get 20 wickets on these batting-friendly wickets. That was already planned. Eventually, our batters have to step up because we don't have two of our senior players too,' he added.
After the win at Edgbaston by 336 runs, India captain Shubman Gill had confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah will be back for the Lord's Test. Prasidh Krishna is likely to make way for the World No.1 Test bowler.