Former England captain Mike Atherton has criticised some of the aggressive on-field behaviour during the recently-concluded Lord’s Test between India and England. Atherton brought up an old incident involving Virat Kohli, recalling the shoulder barge with Australia’s Sam Konstas during the Boxing Day Test in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Notably, India fast-bowler Mohammed Siraj was fined 15 per cent of his match fee and given one demerit point for an aggressive send-off to England opener Ben Duckett on Day 4. Siraj celebrated in Duckett’s face and lightly brushed past him as the batter was walking back to the pavilion. The ICC punished Siraj for using "provocative language and gesture."
Day 5 saw another heated moment between Ravindra Jadeja and Brydon Carse. The two collided mid-pitch while completing a run. Carse was visibly unhappy and exchanged words with Jadeja, who did not hold back from the confirmation either. England captain Ben Stokes diffused the situation before it escalated further.
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Also read: IND vs ENG: Dinesh Karthik & Nasser Hussain reflect on India's heartbreaking loss at Lord's
Mike Atherton Criticises On-Field Behaviour at Lord’s, Recalls Virat Kohli’s Shoulder Barge in Australia
Writing in his column for The Times, Atherton acknowledged the intensity that makes Test cricket compelling but warned that certain on-field actions like deliberate physical contact cross the line.
"Forgive me for degrading the report of a great match with this nonsense, but wouldn't spectators rather see players caring too much, rather than too little, about playing Tests. No one, of course, wants to see physical altercations on the field of play, or sustained nasty verbal abuse," Atherton wrote in his column.
He also brought up an old incident involving Virat Kohli, where the Indian star deliberately barged into Konstas during the Boxing Day Test in Australia.
"There should be no place, for example, for the shoulder barge that Virat Kohli initiated in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne last Christmas, when he diverted from his path to deliberately walk into Sam Konstas. In a match where there was plenty of spice and niggle, tempers flared as Carse and Jadeja collided mid-pitch, although the impact was entirely accidental, after Jadeja had deflected the ball towards third man, with both players ball-watching rather than minding each other's path," he added.
He also said the Test had a dramatic ending and reminded that six years ago on the same day, Lord’s hosted the 2019 ODI World Cup final, another unforgettable match in which the winner was decided on the boundary-count.
"Six years ago to the day, Lord's had witnessed the most remarkable finish to any cricket match, when the World Cup final was decided on a boundary countback after a Super Over. Now the game delivered an extraordinary finish again, with two of the protagonists from that day, Stokes and Jofra Archer, taking centre stage," Atherton stated.
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England Snatch Series Lead
Chasing 193, India started Day 5 at 58/4. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant were key to India’s hopes but England’s pacers struck early. Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes and Stokes reduced India to 112/8.
Jadeja tried to fight back with help from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj but the target proved just out of reach. India were bowled out for 170 and lost by 22 runs.
England now lead the series 2-1. The fourth Test will be played at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester from July 23.
Also read: IND vs ENG 2025: 5 Key Reasons Behind India's Loss At Lord's Test
