The ongoing India-England Test series has been marked by intense competition, with frequent flashpoints, and a fair share of controversies, with plenty of needle, “argy-bargy,” and verbal exchanges adding to the drama in five hard-fought games.
If you’ve already forgotten, here’s refreshing your memory with them.
Rishabh Pant fined for dissent at Headingley
The first three Tests of the series were repeatedly disrupted by issues with the Dukes ball; its poor condition prompted frequent inspections, replacements, and mounting frustration from players. It was fitting, then, that the first demerit point of the series stemmed from the same source. Pant was reprimanded for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during the fourth day at Headingley, after reacting angrily to the umpires' refusal to change the ball in the 61st over of England’s first innings.
After a brief exchange with Paul Reiffel, who discarded the request for a ball after it passed the gauge despite concerns that it had gone soft, Pant tossed it to the ground in anger. The reaction drew jeers from the Headingley crowd, and the ICC found Pant guilty of violating Article 2.8, which deals with “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision during an international match”. It marked Pant’s first offence in two years.
Shubman Gill argues with the umpires over the new ball at Lord’s
The second Test at Lord’s saw tempers flare once again over the Dukes ball, with Shubman Gill at the centre of a heated exchange during the first session on Day Two. In the 91st over of England’s innings, India were in control, having dismissed Ben Stokes, Joe Root, and Chris Woakes in the morning. But just ten overs into the second new ball, Gill raised concerns over its shape.
Umpire Paul Reiffel conducted the ring test, and the ball failed to pass through the gauge. A replacement was summoned, but Gill was immediately unimpressed with the new selection. What followed was a prolonged and animated argument with the umpires, who tried to wave him off. Gill stood his ground, repeatedly questioning the decision, until he was eventually told to return to his fielding position so play could resume.
Mohammed Siraj added to the protest, inspecting the replacement ball himself before being heard on the stump mic, asking, “This is a 10-overs-old ball? Seriously?” It was later reported that India had been handed a ball that was nearly 30 overs old, as the box of replacement balls did not have one that was 10 overs old. That passage of play ended up handing England the advantage.
Shubman Gill acts like a “former India skipper” at Lord’s...
Tensions reached boiling point late on day three of the Lord’s Test, as India accused England of deliberate time-wasting to avoid facing more than a single over before stumps. With scores level at 387 apiece, and just seven minutes left in the day, India’s fielders rushed back after wrapping up their innings, but England were in no hurry. Openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett arrived 90 seconds late - the exact time confirmed by Gill later - just enough to shave off an over.
With Jasprit Bumrah steaming in, Crawley further tested India’s patience by taking time to take guard, pulling away mid-over to complain about the sight screen, and calling for the physio after defending a ball into his stumps. Gill, already animated, snapped. “Grow some f***ing balls!” he yelled from slip, complete with an exasperated hand gesture. On Hotstar, Jonathan Trott was not pleased, accusing him of acting like a "former captain from India." Although, one could similarly question Gulbadin Naib’s dramatic attack of cramps at Trott's request to slow the game down last year…
… and England answer back
Later at Lord's, England had their chance to hit back, and they did so with venom. Jofra Archer knocked over Rishabh Pant on the last day with a cracking delivery that nipped away and shattered the stumps, before storming up to the batter with an animated send-off. Just an over earlier, Pant had charged him and lofted one over mid-off. “I just told him to charge that!” Archer said, post-game. “That [coming down and hitting me] pissed me off a little. When we go to other places, some teams aren’t as nice to us as we are to them. So we just tried to shift there.”
The fielders followed suit. Head coach Brendon McCullum was caught on camera signalling from the balcony, urging his players to dial up the verbals. The volume rose. Washington Sundar, sent ahead of Nitish Reddy, lasted just four balls before falling to Archer, with his departure being met with more words. Reddy wasn’t spared either, with Harry Brook, his former IPL teammate, telling him, “This isn’t the IPL.”
Did England fail to uphold the ‘Spirit of cricket’ at Old Trafford?
India’s great escape at Old Trafford ended in controversy as Ben Stokes' late-day antics stole the spotlight. With Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja stonewalling England’s attack after KL Rahul had done the early damage, India looked set for a draw after erasing a 311-run deficit.
But as the final session ticked on, with Sundar on 80 and Jadeja on 89 and the game heading for a draw, Stokes attempted to bring proceedings to a premature end, offering a handshake as the final hour began. The Indian batters refused. Visibly riled, Stokes threw a jab at Jadeja: “Jaddu, do you want to get a Test 100 against Brook & Duckett?”
England's frustration spilt onto the field. Brook purposely (and purposefully) sent down a string of looseners, even as Joe Root from the other end attempted to give the proceedings some semblance of normalcy. Undeterred, Jadeja launched Brook for six to bring up his century. Three overs later, Sundar reached his maiden hundred, both batters raising their bats before finally agreeing to the draw.
Sanjay Manjrekar called out Stokes’ behaviour, saying he “acted like a spoiled kid”, while R Ashwin wondered whether the “brand ambassador of the spirit of cricket” was exhibiting double standards.
Gautam Gambhir rolls back the years with his aggressive run-in
Two days ahead of the final Test at The Oval, tensions flared between India head coach Gautam Gambhir, known for his animated outbursts in his playing days, and local curator Lee Fortis. According to the Indian management, Gambhir was observing the surface when a member of the groundstaff approached, asking them to stay 2.5 metres away from the pitch. A few minutes later, Fortis, sitting on a roller, shouted at the Indian support staff for bringing a 10kg water cooler onto the field.
The situation escalated quickly. Gambhir marched over, visibly animated, pointing his finger at Fortis and confronting him head-on. “You don’t tell us what to do,” he was heard saying multiple times. “You don’t tell my squad what to do. You’re just a groundsman. Stay in your capacity.”
Fortis threatened to report Gambhir to the ICC match referee if he continued “swearing,” to which Gambhir retorted, “Go ahead.” Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak later said the demand to keep a distance was “surprising” and felt “awkward,” adding that in his long career, no curator had made such a request. He hinted at Fortis' difficult reputation, noting that other venues on the tour had engaged cordially with the team, even updating them on pitch preparation.
Siraj cops a demerit point
Siraj was fined 15% of his match fee and received a demerit point for his animated send-off to Ben Duckett on the fourth morning of the Lord’s Test. The incident unfolded in the fifth over of the day when Duckett miscued a pull off Siraj to mid-on. Siraj erupted in celebration, let out a loud roar, and walked aggressively in Duckett’s direction, brushing shoulders as the batter made his way back. The ICC confirmed a breach of Article 2.5, which deals with actions that could provoke a response from a dismissed batter. It was Siraj’s second demerit point in 24 months.
The plenty of player run-ins
Ravindra Jadeja vs Brydon Carse: Words were exchanged when batter Ravindra Jadeja and Brydon Carse collided mid-pitch while attempting a run at Lord’s on the last day. Words were exchanged as both players, caught ball-watching, reacted angrily, before Stokes intervened.
Mohammed Siraj vs Joe Root: On the opening day of the Lord’s Test, England’s ultra-aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach was nowhere in sight, as Joe Root and Ollie Pope opted for a more traditional grind. Sensing the shift, India cranked up the verbals. Mohammed Siraj mocked Root mid-over, shouting, “Bazball, Bazball! Play Bazball, I want to see Bazball!” The taunts continued from behind the stumps, with even India captain Shubman Gill joining in. “No more entertaining cricket? Welcome back to boring Test cricket,” he said as England crawled to 70 runs in the second session at a run rate of 2.91.
Ben Duckett vs Rishabh Pant: On the third day of the Lord’s Test, Rishabh Pant was rebuilding patiently alongside KL Rahul. With his usual flair tempered, Pant was going at a strike rate under 70 when England opener Ben Duckett walked up for a bit of banter. “Just batting for the draw?” he asked. Pant quipped, “Same like you?” Duckett smiled, “Yeah… that’s me playing on Day 1”, referring to his 40-ball 23.
Akash Deep vs Ben Duckett: After being taken apart by England’s openers, Akash Deep finally dismissed Ben Duckett for 43 with a full delivery that feathered off the bat to keeper Dhruv Jurel in the fifth Test. It ended a fiery 92-run stand, and Akash Deep celebrated with a fist pump before walking alongside Duckett, arm around his shoulder, and sharing a few words. Though not overtly aggressive, the gesture raised eyebrows, with the Code of Conduct prohibiting any inappropriate contact with the batter.
Joe Root vs Prasidh Krishna: Joe Root and Prasidh Krishna were involved in a heated on-field altercation during the 22nd over at the Oval when Prasidh directed a few words at Root mid-run-up. In response, Root drove the very next delivery to the boundary and fired back with a sharp retort. The verbal exchange escalated, forcing the umpires to intervene. Several Indian players rushed in as well, with Rahul questioning the umpires whether the Indians should just “bat, ball and go home.”
Ben Duckett vs Sai Sudharsan: On the second evening of the fifth Test, Sai Sudharsan was rapped on the pads by Gus Atkinson, and England went up in appeal for lbw. He was given out on field, and the decision looked fairly obvious. There were suggestions that the close-in fielders egged Sai Sudharsan on to burn a review, which he did following consultation with Yashasvi Jaiswal. After the dismissal was upheld, the batter began to walk off, but briefly exchanged a few words with Ben Duckett on the edge of an England huddle. Neither player looked particularly pleased, before Harry Brook gently ushered Duckett away and Sai Sudharsan eventually made his way off.
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