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"It's His Team Now": Ponting Defends Gill’s Aggressive Stance During Lord's Test

Poulomi Chakraborty

Gill's On-Field Confrontation With English Batters (Source: @AhmedGT_/x.com)Gill's On-Field Confrontation With English Batters (Source: @AhmedGT_/x.com)

The Lord’s Test panned out to be an absolutely entertaining one, packed with unmissable cricket action and a fiery on-field clash between the opponents. In the second innings, Team India captain Shubman Gill’s heated moment with the English openers grabbed the limelight.

The heated moment on the field sparked buzz, but former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting took a stand for Gill. Defending the Indian Test skipper, Ponting said it was a captain who was taking a stand for his side.

Ricky Ponting Backs Gill, Praises His Leadership

In the Lord’s Test, the cricket world enjoyed a red-ball spectacle, but the heated argument between Shubman Gill and the England openers added more drama to it. In the beginning of the second innings, the English openers were accused of wasting time on the field, sparking a fiery exchange with the Indian captain at the iconic venue.

Gil’s outburst on the field drew some criticism, but former Australian captain Ricky Ponting defended the Indian skipper. While speaking on ICC Review, Ponting acknowledged it wasn’t Gill’s usual demeanor but praised him for standing firm and backing his team as a true leader.

“That was a little out of character from what I've known from Shubman in the past. 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,” he said.

“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,” he added.

Gill Channels Kohli’s Fiery Spirit

Virat Kohli’s fierce passion has been key to making Test cricket thrilling, from winning Down Under to dominating opponents on their home soil. After watching Gill’s body language in the last game, Ricky Ponting drew parallel between Gill and 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,” he said.

“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,” he added.

However, despite the dead fight in the third Test, Team India faced a disappointing 22-run defeat against the hosts. Trailing by 1-2, Gill and Co. will be determined to level up the series to keep their hope alive.