“He had cramps the day before” - Joe Root opens up on Shubman Gill’s controversial moment in ENG vs IND 2025 Tests

England batter Joe Root weighed in on the heated exchange between Shubman Gill and Zak Crawley at the end of the third day of the third Test at Lord's. In one of the most memorable Test series in recent times, India and England traded blows in a 2-2 drawn five-match affair.

The tension was at its highest in the third Test at Lord's with the series tied at 1-1. Both teams played to a push in their respective first innings, with totals of 387 on the board.

With India pushing to bowl as much as possible at the England openers in the waning stages of Day 3, Crawley utilized time-wasting techniques to ensure no more than an over was bowled. Yet, Gill himself took time to have a massage for his issues with cramps on the previous day, something Root pointed to when asked about the incident in a recent interview.

He said on the Barmy Army TV YouTube channel (21:24):

"It was quite amusing watching all that unfold, especially having seen Shubman getting a massage for ten minutes when he had cramps the day before. There are other things like these that happen during the game that adds to the spectacle."

Root added:

"It's not something you want to see all the time, where days get played out over only 60 overs because there are so many other things happening. But every now and then, something like that is good theatre as long as it doesn't ruin the overall experience."

The Lord's Test ultimately went down to the wire with England pulling off a 22-run win to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

"Gill lost his temper, but it creates great drama to the whole thing" - Joe Root

Joe Root believes Indian captain Shubman Gill lost his temper in the incident with Zak Crawley at the end of the third day at Lord's. However, the former England captain did not mind the occasional incident if it added more drama to the contest.

"I guess there is just an element of that in the way they do things. And as an opposition, it's just making sure you have a very good method in combating that, whether that's having a go back at them, like the incident at Lord's with Zak that made that over about eight minutes long. Gill lost his temper but it creates great drama to the whole thing," said Root (via the aforementioned source).

Unfortunately for England, Gill's bat did most of the talking in the five-Test series as he finished with an incredible 754 runs at an average of over 75, including four centuries. His heroics helped India finish their UK tour with an impressive 2-2 draw in his first assignment as Test captain.