India captain Shubman Gill reignited the spirit of cricket debate on the eve of the Manchester Test, calling out England’s “time-wasting” at Lord’s. Gill said England deliberately delayed play by 90 seconds late on Day 3, which he felt crossed the line of what’s fair—even if every team wants to run down the clock at the very end of a day.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain found Gill’s remarks “amusing”, arguing every side would do the same in that situation. But former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik firmly pushed back, insisting India would never even get the opportunity to delay play for 90 seconds.
What Gill said
Gill clarified the exact issue he had with England’s approach and stressed it wasn’t about typical end-of-day tactics but the deliberate delay in arriving at the crease.
“Yes, a lot of people have been talking about it, so let me just clear the air, once and for all. The English batsmen on that day had seven minutes of play left; they were 90 seconds late to come to the crease — not 10, not 20 — 90 seconds late,” Gill had said in the press conference.
Hussain laughs, Karthik counters
On air, Nasser Hussain and Dinesh Karthik unpacked the incident and Gill’s comments. Hussain suggested that England merely did what any team would do, especially with a dangerous new ball coming under lights. Karthik disagreed, saying the key difference was England’s lateness to take strike.
Here’s how the exchange went:
Nasser Hussain: The umpires were concerned about the light, I think, in the last over. I haven’t seen any light metres out there.
Dinesh Karthik: I think that’s quite clever, that’s fine, to just go and put that small little seed in the umpire’s mind. Is it okay to, like, especially with the new ball around the corner, and we’ve seen a couple of collapses for India as well. And that’s cheeky. Not a bad idea.
Nasser Hussain: That’s what made me laugh about Shubham Gill’s press conference, really, about England not being in the spirit of the game by delaying things, and England did delay it. Day three, that one over, it was ridiculous, but every side does it, and India will do it tonight. Why would they want extra overs of Jofra Archer under the lights? Who would?
Dinesh Karthik: Difference being, I don’t think India can take 90 seconds not wanting to bat, or rather not wanting to come down to bat. I think that’s the problem that Shubham Gill said he had. It was just the fact that they came late to take the strike, that he had a problem with.
Why the 90 seconds matters
Gill’s point hinges on intent and timing. Teams slowing things down in the final minutes is common. But arriving late to the crease after a fall of wicket, especially with only seven minutes left, crosses into avoidable delay. India argue that those 90 seconds could have taken an over off the day—vital in a tight Test.
The bigger picture ahead of Manchester
With tensions already high, Gill’s remarks add spice to the build-up. England have long embraced aggressive tactics, on and off the field, to control tempo. India, meanwhile, frame this as a question of fairness rather than gamesmanship. Expect stricter umpiring on over rates, promptness at the crease, and light-related calls in Manchester.
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