India captain Shubman Gill was in a playful mood on Day 1 of the third Test against England as he engaged in some light-hearted sledging that reflected the state of the game. With England struggling to maintain their trademark Bazball approach, Gill took a cheeky dig at the hosts' slow scoring rate. After England lost both openers—Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley—and took 35.4 overs to reach 100 runs, Gill sarcastically shouted, “No more entertaining cricket. Welcome back to the boring Test cricket, boys.”

Earlier in the day, Nitish Kumar Reddy provided India with a crucial double breakthrough in a single over just before lunch. England were reduced to 83 for two, thanks to Reddy’s precise bowling. His first wicket came via a bit of fortune when Duckett gloved a short ball on the leg side to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. On the next delivery, Ollie Pope was nearly dismissed, but Gill couldn’t grab a difficult chance at gully. The over ended with a gem of a delivery that dismissed Crawley—seaming away just enough to take the edge and carry safely to Pant.

India had made just one change to their XI from the previous match, with Jasprit Bumrah replacing Prasidh Krishna. England captain Ben Stokes, going against the usual Bazball tactic, opted to bat first in a home Test for only the second time in this era. While India’s seamers—Bumrah, Akash Deep, and Siraj—took some time adjusting to the Lord’s slope, they eventually found their rhythm. Akash Deep, who had a memorable match in Edgbaston with 10 wickets, shared the new ball with Bumrah but was later replaced by Reddy, who made an immediate impact.

England's Cautious Start Draws Ironic Cheers

The tone was set early when Duckett and Crawley started cautiously, scoring 39 in the first 13 overs. The Indian pace trio challenged them with disciplined lines, but it was more than two hours until India made the breakthrough. The entire session turned with the introduction of Nitish Reddy, as he delivered fiery over that shifted the session's momentum back in favor of India. After England had a little recovery with Joe Root getting a half-century, England’s rate of just below 3 an over was anathema to the whole idea of being aggressive.

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Gill - "Welcome back to Boring Test Cricket Boys". 😁✅

- A GREAT BANTER AT LORD's. pic.twitter.com/ozxCUGE9cm

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 10, 2025

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Gill’s comment, delivered in good spirit, not only summed up England’s slow progress but also reminded fans of how mind games are an integral part of the longest format. As the Test progresses, such moments add spice to an already tense battle between two proud cricketing nations.