In the last over of Day 3 of the third Test of the ongoing England vs. India series, former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri offered his thoughts on Zak Crawley’s time-wasting strategies. He believed that these kinds of mental games were normal and anticipated in a high-stress match like the one between the two sides.
Ravi Shastri believed that he was okay with Crawley’s behaviour and that, given the circumstances of the match, it was only natural for any player to act in that manner.
“Now, I would have done all of that if I were wearing the Indian hat. We call it Tamasha (drama), you know. Everything that is permitted on the playing field. All of it is what you desire. ‘Good morning, good evening, go home’ isn’t enough, you know. As long as you don’t go overboard, you know, a little argy-bargy is acceptable in the middle.
Therefore, I’m cool with all of that,” Ravi Shastri said in an interview with Sky Sports Cricket.
‘I would have done all that too, a little bit of argy-bargy is okay!’ 🗣️
Ravi Shastri on Day Three’s heated final over at Lord’s 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LqxOK2o9dt
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 13, 2025
On the third day of play, England just had to contend with one over. However, Crawley once stopped Jasprit Bumrah in the middle of his run-up and then motioned for the physio to attend to his finger after getting struck on the glove. Another one could have easily fit in.
Shubman Gill, the Indian captain, addressed Crawley after becoming visibly angry at his behaviour. Many Indian players were seen clapping their hands sarcastically for what they believed to be a time-wasting act that Crawley was performing on purpose.
Two runs were scored by the hosts in the first and only over of their second innings. On the fourth day, England would want to increase their lead by scoring goals quickly.
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