Shubman Gill kicked off his tenure as Test captain impressively by scoring a century on the first day of the match at Leeds against England. By achieving this feat, Gill made history as he became just the fifth Indian captain to score a hundred in his debut as team leader. The Indians concluded their innings with a total of 359 for three wickets after 85 overs, with Shubman Gill remaining not out on 127 runs along with vice-captain Rishabh Pant, who was also undefeated at 65.
Nevertheless, following such an impressive performance, it became apparent that the Indian captain may encounter some issues. Gill might be subject to disciplinary measures for possibly violating the ICC’s dress code policy due to his choice of black-colored socks. During the game, Gill was observed wearing black socks—a stark contrast to the customary white socks used in Test cricket.
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This is what the regulation states
As per Clause 19.45 of the International Cricket Council's revised Clothing and Equipment Guidelines, cricketers participating in red-ball matches can opt for socks in "white, cream, or light grey." For limited-over games such as ODIs and T20Is, they have the option to choose socks that match either one of these colors or are the same shade as the primary color of their trouser bottoms. This new regulation will be enforced starting May 2023.
Will Gill be penalised?
The decision regarding whether Gill faces penalties rests solely with the match referee, Richie Richardson. Should this be classified as an intentional Level 1 offense, Gill might incur a fine equivalent to 10 to 20 percent of his match fees. Conversely, should the violation turn out to have been unintentional or attributable to unavailable or unfit standard stockings, he stands clear from any penalty.
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Shubman Gill falls short of 150 at Leeds
On the second day, the batsmen who had carried forward their knocks from the previous evening—Gill and Pant—returned to the crease amid hopes they would maintain the form shown on the first day. They started off carefully before asserting themselves more aggressively with bat in hand. Eventually, Pant notched up his third Test hundred in England. Unfortunately for Gill, he was unable to reach the milestone of 150 runs; instead, he departed at 147 after facing a delivery from Shoaib Bashir.
The Indian skipper tried to cross the boundary line while moving down the pitch, however, the ball hit the lower part of his bat, allowing Brydon Carse to take an easy catch at deep backward square leg.
Before the series began, with Virat Kohli stepping down from Test cricket, everyone was keenly watching the number four batting position—wondering who would fill it and how they would fare. As anticipated, Gill got the opportunity and seized it with both hands. .