- Saturday, April 05, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
FORMER England captain David Lloyd critcised Indian batsmen KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant’s decision to walk off the ground as passing showers disrupted the third day’s play of the first Test at Trent Bridge. With 11 balls bowled in the day, the downpour started that saw the players leaving the ground. The match resumed later with Rahul and Pant coming out to take stance.
India were pegged back on Day 2 as they lost their middle order quickly to be reduced from 97 for 1 to 125 for 4, still needing 58 runs to equal England’s first innings score of 183. Pant did not last long on Day 3 but India’s lower order wagged to see them taking a vital lead of 95 runs.
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During the rain intervention early on Day 3, on-field umpire Michael Gough allowed the Indian batsmen to leave the ground before England pacer James Anderson talked to him and asked to carry on, sensing that the rain would be short-lived. Gough heard Anderson and the play went on without any interruption for the time being even as the Indian duo agreed to play on.
India take crucial 95-run lead in first innings at Trent Bridge
Lloyd, 74, was not happy with the development and felt the officials needed to be more in control of things rather than allowing players to make decisions.
“Who is running this game? The umpires or the players? We had a squally shower come over Trent Bridge that clearly wasn’t going to last long but India refused to bat. Michael Gough was just letting them walk off until Jimmy Anderson intervened and they carried on. It’s not his job! The umpires need to be much, much firmer,” Lloyd, who had captained England in the 1970s, wrote in the Daily Mail.
The Test match was evenly balanced at the end of Day 4 after England fought back in their second innings to score 303, thanks to a brilliant hundred from captain Joe Root. India needed 209 runs to win the match and take 1-0 lead and were 52 for 1 at stumps, losing the key wicket of Rahul.
Lloyd, who is a commentator now, also raised concerns over the home team’s top order and particularly the form of Dom Sibley who scored 18 and 28 in the two innings. He felt young Haseeb Hammed might get a chance during the five-match series.
