Our Bureau
London
The last test of the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy between India and England was one of the most thrilling cricket matches that many have ever witnessed. Tensions ran high as the match went down to the wire with every run making a difference. Shubman Gill, India’s Test captain revealed the details of a heated moment when India’s star pacer Mohammed Siraj lost his cool in the final moments of the match.
When Prasidh Krishna cleaned up Josh Tongue with a well executed yorker on the last ball of the 82nd over, England still needed 17 runs to win. Chris Woakes, who courageously walked out to bat with his left arm in the arm sling, was actually in no condition to face a ball and was thankfully on the non-strike’s end at the start of the second over.
Gus Atkinson played the first 5 balls of the next over and it was clear he was trying to keep the one-armed Woakes off strike. But Siraj and Gill had a plan in mind to deny the single on the last bowl and if the English batters tried to sneak one they planned to get one of them run out. However, the plan didn’t work courtesy a bad throw from wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel and the batters sneaked in a cheeky single.
Siraj, who looked visibly upset with how the situation panned, questioned Gill on the pitch asking him why he did not tell Jurel to remove one glove. The Indian captain revealed the details of the plan and why Siraj got angry.
“He (Siraj) had told me to ask Dhruv Jurel to remove his gloves for the run-out. Jab tak maine Dhruv ko bola, ye bhagne lag gaya aur usko time nahi mila. Toh usne miss kardi and isne mujhe bola, ‘Tune bola kyu nahi?’ (By the time I told Dhruv, Siraj had already started his run-up, and so he didn’t get time to take his gloves off. Once he missed, Siraj questioned me, ‘Why didn’t you tell him?’),” Gill said in the press conference after the match.
