IND vs ENG: Shubman Gill, Jonny Bairstow's heated sledging war resurfaces - viral video

IND vs ENG: Verbal Sparring Between Shubman Gill and Jonny Bairstow Resurfaces Amidst New Series

NEW DELHI: As Shubman Gill celebrated his captaincy debut with an impressive unbeaten century at Headingley on Friday, an old verbal exchange between him and England's Jonny Bairstow has resurfaced online, quickly going viral within the cricket community.

The clip, originating from the final Test of the 2024 India-England series in Dharamshala, captures a moment of light-hearted yet sharp sledging between the two batsmen.

The incident occurred after Gill scored a century but was soon dismissed by James Anderson.

Reportedly, Gill had previously suggested to Anderson, who had just achieved the milestone of 700 Test wickets as a pacer, that he should consider retirement. When Bairstow came to bat in England's second innings, he referenced that conversation.

The verbal exchange:

Despite the exchange concluding with smirks, the game soon favored India. Bairstow was dismissed shortly after by Kuldeep Yadav, and India won the match by an innings, securing the series 4-1.

Now, several months later, Gill has taken the lead in his debut innings as India’s Test captain, achieving a dominant 127 not out against England in the series opener at Headingley.

With Jaiswal’s 101 and Pant’s unbeaten 65, India concluded Day 1 on 359/3, holding a strong position.

The resurfaced sledging video has brought an additional layer of intrigue to the new series.

As England, now without Bairstow, aims to recover, Shubman Gill’s performance, both as a batsman and a leader, indicates a promising new chapter for Indian Test cricket.