"The confrontation was fine, but the manner perhaps could have been slightly different" - Anil Kumble on Shubman Gill after ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

Former India player Anil Kumble has opined that Shubman Gill was right in confronting Zak Crawley before Stumps on Day 3 of the third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. However, he added that the Indian skipper could have done it differently.

India suffered a 22-run loss in the third Test against England at Lord's on Monday, July 14. Gill was agitated when Crawley was seemingly wasting time to avoid an extra over to be bowled before the close of play on Day 3.

During an interaction on the Star Sports show 'Follow the Blues,' Kumble was asked whether he endorses the way India played the Lord's Test under Gill.

"Yes, I thought he led the team well. Yes, he didn't get runs. Unfortunately for him, the dismissal in the second innings would certainly hurt him. The confrontation was fine, but the manner perhaps could have been slightly different as a skipper. I am sure he will learn from these kind of incidents. He is still young," he responded.

The former India captain praised Gill for his responses in the post-match press conference.

"What I liked about Shubman was the press conference. I thought he handled the questions really well. He did not want to look at certain incidents as saying, 'this is what certainly changed the game.' He recognized the change happened because of the Rishabh Pant run-out, and that was a big moment. Let's realize that was a major moment for India's batting in the first innings," Kumble elaborated.

While acknowledging that Rishabh Pant's run-out in the first innings had a huge influence on the game, Shubman Gill mentioned in the press conference that it was a judgment error. He highlighted that KL Rahul's desire to reach his century before Lunch didn't have a role in the dismissal.

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"Shubman Gill would feel disappointed with his batting" - Anil Kumble

Shubman Gill was dismissed cheaply in both innings of the Lord's Test. [P/C: Getty]

In the same interaction, Anil Kumble reckoned that Shubman Gill would be disappointed with his twin failures with the bat in the Lord's Test, especially his dismissal before Stumps on Day 4.

"Shubman Gill would feel disappointed with his batting because he was in excellent form. He just had to survive that fourth day for him to just come and do what he does really well on Day 5," he said.

However, the former India spinner noted that Gill would be delighted with the way his team fought at Lord's and would be confident heading into the final two Tests.

"Otherwise, I think overall in terms of the way he handled the bowlers, maybe spinners early on in the first innings, but in the second innings, I thought he controlled the innings really well. He will be very happy with the way his team responded to the challenge. I am sure he will go confident going into the fourth and fifth Test matches," Kumble observed.

Ravindra Jadeja (61* off 181), Nitish Kumar Reddy (13 off 53), Jasprit Bumrah (5 off 54) and Mohammed Siraj (4 off 30) fought valiantly after India had been reduced to 82/7 while chasing a 193-run target on Day 5 of the Lord's Test. However, they couldn't take their team over the line as the visitors were eventually bowled out for 170.