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

IND vs ENG: Old Sledging Exchange Between Shubman Gill and Jonny Bairstow Resurfaces

NEW DELHI: As Shubman Gill celebrated his captaincy debut with a remarkable unbeaten century at Headingley on Friday, a past verbal clash between him and England's Jonny Bairstow has resurfaced online, quickly becoming a viral sensation within cricket communities.

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

The incident occurred shortly after Gill reached a century but was then dismissed by James Anderson.

Reportedly, Gill had previously suggested to Anderson, who had just become the first pace bowler to claim 700 Test wickets, that he should consider retirement. When Bairstow came to the crease in England's second innings, he referenced the earlier conversation.

The exchange unfolded as follows:

• Bairstow: "What did you say to Jimmy about him retiring?"
• Gill: "I told him he should retire."
• Bairstow: "And then he got you out next ball?"
• Gill: "So what? He can get me out after my 100."
• Bairstow: "100 percent."
• Gill: "How many hundreds do you have this series?"
• Bairstow: "How many have you scored, full stop?"

The conversation concluded with smiles, but the match situation soon favored India. Bairstow was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav just four balls later, and India secured victory by an innings, winning the series 4-1.

Now, several months later, Gill has taken the lead in his first innings as India’s Test captain, delivering an impressive 127 not out against England in the series opener at Headingley.

With Jaiswal’s 101 and Pant’s unbeaten 65, India concluded Day 1 with a score of 359/3, holding a commanding position.

The re-emergence of the sledging video adds another layer of intrigue to the ongoing series.

While England aims to recover without Bairstow, Shubman Gill’s performance, both as a batsman and as a captain, points to a promising new chapter for Indian Test cricket.