It started with Shubman Gill walking some distance down the pitch to poke at some spot he saw on the wicket.
In the 25th over of the day, with Gill trying to play out for lunch against Nathan Lyon packing one in before 12.30 pm, the chirpy Aussie middle order batters standing in slips got going, knowing he was staving off another Aussie snare after KL Rahul (4) and Jaiswal (10) had departed.
According to Fox Cricket, stump mic revealed “Australia’s cheeky build-up to the wicket of Shubman Gill on the last ball before lunch on Day 1 of the fifth Test in Sydney, with the hosts having the ultimate last laugh.”
As soon as Gill went prodding his bat on the pitch, Marnus Labuschagne, at leg slip was quoted as saying, “Easy, got it in easy!” He needs to call for the ‘sprain.’” The Sprain, meant a time-wasting tactic.
This is how the conversation followed, as Gill was reeled in properly with Steve Smith at first slip, as per Fox.
Smith: “This is bulls**t! Oi, let’s play!”
Gill: “You take your time Smithy, no one says anything to you!”
Smith: “Just play mate. Let’s play.”
Labuschagne: “Take your time son.”
Smith says to Gill, ohh! Let’s play !
It’s good that he was not selected in #IPL.
Watch this video. 👇#ViratKohli𓃵 #INDvsAUSTest #Tejran #Smith #Subhmangill #srchafreen #SonicMovie3 #spm2024 pic.twitter.com/QE2XUcnkN9
— Sonu (@sonu_tomar07) January 3, 2025
Gill had a smart retort at hand. But he couldn’t respond with the bat, and seemed to have lost his poise in a headrush or a brain-scramble. Not more than 10 seconds later, as per Fox, Gill charged down the wicket, trying to counter Lyon’s line on a 90.6km/h slider.
He edged to a gleeful Smith at first slip, for an easy catch to be packed off for 20 off 64 and India struggling to swallow lunch at 3/57 with replays of the needless dismissal at the cusp of the session.
Smith, the pesky poucher, was laughing away speaking to Fox at lunch. “Shubman has trying to take his time there (and) it probably played into our hands,” Smith was quoted as saying. “He decided to run at the last one, and I think he was trying to launch him (Lyon).”
Gill has had a Tour to never forget, lessons strewn across all Tests. He missed the first from thumb injury and was left out in the 4th to accommodate Rohit Sharma. But his average of 20, total of 60, with top score of 31 leaves a lot to be happy over.
For someone who heralded promise at the famous Gabba Test in 2021, with a 90-odd, his numbers in SENA countries point to a struggle. The reel for his scores outside Asia according to @RichKettle07 reads: 1, 28, 31, 10, 36, 26, 2, 29, 10, 6, 18, 13, 4, 17, 0, 8, 28.
In the next innings, Gill would need to either not get drawn into these chats, or simply compose himself before facing the next delivery, if he fancies a peaceful non tumultuous lunch.
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