When cricket turned into conversation — and confrontation
As the 2025 England vs. India Test series draws near, the battlelines are already blurring—not just in runs and wickets—but in words. Over the years, this iconic rivalry has delivered more than world-class cricket. It has also served up some fiery exchanges, cheeky comebacks, and downright nasty sledges that added spice to the contest.
Let’s rewind to five sledging flashpoints with everyone talking — and listening in.
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Dharamsala turned cold, but the tension was unmistakable. After India amassed 477 in their first innings and England crumbled to 195, stump mics caught Shubman Gill and Jonny Bairstow engaged in a heated exchange.
Bairstow taunted Gill:
“What did you say to Jimmy about retiring?”
Gill snapped back:
“So what? He got me after my hundred. How many have you scored here?”
Sarfaraz Khan added fuel with a cheeky line in Hindi, and the slip cordon buzzed with sarcasm. Gill’s century was followed by a bowled dismissal by Anderson — poetic yet tense. India sealed the Test by an innings and 64 runs, but the banter lingered longer than the scoreboard.
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Virat Kohli was in the form of his life — 235 in Mumbai — but James Anderson couldn’t resist resurrecting ghosts from 2014, questioning Kohli’s technique in English conditions.
Ashwin wasn’t having it. The off-spinner, who took 12 wickets in the match, gave Anderson a mouthful while the pacer was batting. Kohli had to step in and cool tempers. Still, it was a moment of unity for India — defending their skipper’s dominance in their own backyard. India won by an innings and 36 runs.
It was Day 3 of the rescheduled fifth Test. The skies were finally clear, and so was the tension.
Virat Kohli didn’t wait. The moment Jonny Bairstow walked in, Kohli marched up, pointed to the crease, and muttered something cheeky. Bairstow, never one to hold back, snapped right back. The stump mic caught a flurry of words. There were smiles, then there weren’t.
Ben Stokes intervened. Kohli patted Bairstow on the arm like an old mate — but the fire had already ignited. Bairstow responded the best way he could: with a blazing 106 in the second innings. Kohli managed just 11.
England chased down 378, and while the hosts won the Test, the Kohli–Bairstow spat became the real headline. It was pure theatre — part banter, part battle, all passion.
It began with a barrage of bouncers from Jasprit Bumrah to James Anderson. Then came England’s counterattack—sledging Bumrah, Shami, and others when they came out to bat.
However, India fought back—with both bat and banter. Kohli taunted Ollie Robinson:
“Pujara, how boring was your innings? That’s how you survive in Tests.” (Indicating at Robinson)
“Come on, big mouth! Gonna bring your sheets today?”
India won by 151 runs, taking a 1–0 series lead. England had attempted mind games, but India responded with the bat—and their mouths.
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The England bowlers were fuming. India’s tail, led by Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, was piling on runs. Words began to fly. Anderson targeted Siraj, attempting to break his focus.
Siraj didn’t flinch. Instead, as Anderson walked back to his mark, Siraj brushed past him, shoulder to shoulder, eyes locked. No words. Just a silent challenge.
It was bold. It was unexpected. And it conveyed everything: India’s young pacer wasn’t backing down. He remained unbeaten, added crucial runs, and walked off with pride.
