Ponting sympathises with Gill after Lord's outburst ICC World Test Championship
India had managed to equal England's first innings total of 387, and wanted to squeeze in two overs in the remaining six minutes of play. However, that wasn't possible as the English openers took their time to get ready, and the India skipper got involved in a heated discussion with Zak Crawley and then Ben Duckett.
ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting understood why Gill's aggressive posturing at Lord's was met with surprise.
'That was a little out of character from what I've known from Shubman in the past,' Ponting told host Sanjana Ganesan in the latest episode of The ICC Review. '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.'
However, the former Australia skipper said it was a case of Gill taking a stand for his team in the scenario.
'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.'
Shastri reviews England-India series after Lord's thriller | The ICC Review
From a thriller at Lord's to an array of star performers, Ravi Shastri breaks down a closely contested Test series between England and India in the latest edition of The ICC Review.
Ponting has played Tests in England across four separate tours, and twice as captain (2005 and 2009). He said that the pressures of such a high-profile tour could get to a skipper.
'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.'
Ponting also believes that in the middle of a high-octane Test, which India eventually lost by merely 22 runs, Gill needed to make his presence felt on his players, in a manner similar to former skipper Virat Kohli.
'I think that's him starting to put his stamp on his team. And a lot like Virat (Kohli) did, similar ways like that. Rohit (Sharma) probably was never as outwardly aggressive, I guess, especially to opposition players.
'I know he (Rohit) 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.'
With the series 2-1 in favour of the hosts, England and India will square off in the fourth Test in Manchester, starting on 23 July.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Cricket Council
3 hours ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
India ponder Bumrah call as sore Stokes vows to play decider ICC World Test Championship
Skipper Ben Stokes has been England's best bowler across the first four matches of the series despite some ongoing injury ailments, but the inspirational captain suggested he would be fit to take the field in the series decider with the side's next Test after the London showdown not until the opening clash of the Ashes series against Australia in November. "It's been a pretty big workload so far in the series," Stokes admitted. "I had a big week last week at Lord's, with time spent out in the middle with bat in hand and obviously overs bowled, and then same again this week. I said it a few times to the guys out there: 'Pain is just an emotion.' It's just one of those things. "It is actually my bicep tendon. It obviously had quite a lot of workload through it, just been creeping around. But yeah, (I have spent) a lot of time out in the middle doing my job as an all-rounder this week and (it) just got a little bit flared up. It didn't get any worse throughout the day, just stayed the same, so that's why I kept on going. "Hopefully, it settles down and we'll be good as gold for the last game...I don't want to eat my words, but the likelihood that I won't play is very unlikely."
Khaleej Times
9 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Bumrah playing in final Test would be 'great' for India, says skipper Gill
India will consider whether to go back on their plan to restrict Jasprit Bumrah to just three Tests in England after keeping a five-match series alive with a battling draw at Old Trafford on Sunday. Bumrah's back injury earlier this year led India to announce the outstanding fast bowler would only feature in three games of the England series in a bid to manage his workload. And the world's top-ranked Test bowler made his third appearance of the campaign in Manchester where India batted out five sessions and 143 overs to deny England an unassailable 3-1 series lead. India could now field Bumrah when they try to end the series all square at 2-2 in next week's concluding Test at the Oval. But with that clash in south London starting on Thursday, there is little time for Bumrah to recover after he sent down a tiring 33 overs during England's mammoth 669. Bumrah's return of 2-112 also meant the 31-year-old conceded more than a hundred runs in an innings for the first time in his celebrated 48-Test career. But India captain Shubman Gill insisted he would be delighted to have Bumrah in his side for the finale. "If he feels like he's fully fit and available for us, I think it would be a great deal for us," Gill told the BBC. "If he's not playing, I still think we have the right kind of bowling attack. "Akash Deep is available for the last Test, so we will have a bowling attack that could take 20 wickets for us." India will have to make at least one change, with Rishabh Pant ruled out after the wicketkeeper-batsman suffered a broken foot at Old Trafford. Pant left the field on a buggy on the opening day after edging Chris Woakes onto his boot when on 37 but returned less than 24 hours later, making 17 further runs before he was out for 54 in India's first-innings 358. "Rishabh, already it's been declared that he's out of this series," India coach Gautam Gambhir told reporters. "The character and the foundation of this team will be built on what Rishabh did for the team and the country. "Any amount of praise is not enough for him, especially batting with a broken foot." After Gill had made a fine hundred, his fourth of the series, there was a farcical finish to the fourth Test after Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja rejected England's offer to end proceedings with 15 overs remaining –- the earliest a draw could have been agreed. The pair had performed superbly to bat out the final two sessions and spare India defeat, but on 80 and 89 respectively, they wanted to underline their gutsy displays with hundreds. England were unimpressed with captain Ben Stokes bringing on batsman Harry Brook for 'help yourself' runs. Jadeja was the first to capitalise on the 'buffet bowling' before Sundar followed him to three figures for a maiden Test hundred. But Gambhir, a former India batsman, said: "If someone from England had been batting on 90 or 85, if someone has the opportunity to get a first Test hundred, would you allow him to do it? "They weathered the those guys deserved a hundred and fortunately they got it." But Stokes said: "That partnership was massive, they played incredibly well and I don't think there would have been too much more satisfaction at walking off 100 not out than 80 or 90. "Scoring 10 more runs isn't going to change the fact you've got your team out of a very, very tricky situation and saved your team from a series defeat."
Khaleej Times
9 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
England beat Spain in penalty shootout to win Euro 2025
Chloe Kelly converted the decisive kick as England beat Spain 3-1 on penalties to win the Women's Euro 2025 after Sunday's final had finished 1-1 at the end of extra time, allowing the Lionesses to avenge their defeat in the World Cup final of two years ago and retain their continental crown. It looked as though Spain would repeat their victory over England in Sydney two years ago as they dominated the game at St Jakob-Park in Basel and led through Mariona Caldentey's first-half header. But England did not panic, having already trailed against both Sweden in the quarter-finals and Italy in the semis before finding a way to win. Alessia Russo headed in their equaliser just before the hour mark, and no further goals meant a shoot-out in which Kelly -- who once again had a huge impact off the bench -- netted the winner. It was an agonising way to lose for Spain, but they failed to score three of their spot-kicks, with reigning Ballon d'Or Aitana Bonmati seeing her effort saved. Sarina Wiegman's England are therefore back-to-back European champions, with this triumph coming three years after they defeated Germany in extra time at Wembley to win a first women's major tournament. Defeating Spain here helps make up for the agony of losing that World Cup final in 2023, and the victory also confirms Wiegman's place among the coaching greats. She has now won three consecutive European Championships, having led her native Netherlands to victory in 2017 before doing the same with England three years ago. Spain, meanwhile, fell short in their quest to add a maiden European Championship title to the World Cup they won in Australia. La Roja dominated possession as expected, but ultimately paid the price for not putting the game to bed against an England side who never know when they are beaten. Wiegman's team had been 2-0 down against Sweden in the last eight before scoring twice to force extra time as they eventually won on penalties. Then substitute Michelle Agyemang's 96th-minute equaliser denied Italy in the semifinals in Geneva, when Kelly netted the winner in extra time. England had ultimately not played well during much of their run to the final, but it did not matter. Wiegman had taken a gamble on the fitness of Lauren James which paid off, but not quite as planned -- having come off with an ankle injury against Italy, the Chelsea winger did not last until half-time and was replaced by Kelly. By that point Spain were already in front, scoring when Bonmati and Athenea del Castillo combined to set up Ona Battle and her cross from the right was headed in by Caldentey. Montse Tome's Spain, with seven players from Barcelona in their starting line-up, had already been in control before that and it felt like England's best hope was for complacency from their opponents. The best example of that came with the game still goalless, when Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll played a careless short pass to Laia Aleixandri in her own area. Lauren Hemp was alive to the opportunity and pounced, but Coll reacted well to make the save. Yet even at 1-0 it felt like England were still in the game, and they took their chance when it came in the 57th minute when Kelly crossed from the left for her Arsenal teammate Russo to level the scores. England -- with more fans on their side in the crowd of 34,203 -- now sensed yet another comeback win was on the cards, and it took the fingertips of Coll to prevent a Kelly effort from finding the far corner midway through the second half. Agyemang then came on for Russo, hoping to once again play the role of super-sub, while Salma Paralluelo was among those brought on for Spain. Paralluelo found herself in a promising position on several occasions as the game continued into extra time, and from there to the gripping tension of penalties. Beth Mead's first kick for England was saved after she was forced to retake, and captain Leah Williamson also had her effort stopped by Coll. However, Alex Greenwood and Niamh Charles both scored, while Patri Guijarro was the only successful taker for Spain before Kelly stepped up to win it.
