NEW DELHI: Shubman Gill’s sparkling debut as India’s Test captain may have drawn praise for his leadership and batting brilliance, but an unlikely fashion faux pas could land him in trouble with the ICC. Gill, who scored an unbeaten 127 on Day 1 of the opening Test against England at Headingley, was spotted wearing black socks – a violation of Test cricket’s Clothing and Equipment Rules.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!According to ICC regulations, players in Test matches are required to wear socks that are white, cream, or light grey. By donning black socks, Gill potentially breached Article 4 of the ICC’s Clothing and Equipment Code.
The incident could earn him a reprimand for a first offence, with escalating fines (up to 75% of match fee) for repeat violations within a 12-month period. The match referee will now determine whether the infraction was accidental or a deliberate Level 1 breach. If found guilty of the latter, Gill could be fined between 10 and 20 percent of his match fees.The sock issue came on an otherwise stellar day for the 25-year-old, who became only the fifth Indian skipper to score a century in his first innings as captain, joining legends Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Virat Kohli. His effort, alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal’s commanding 101, propelled India to a dominant 359/3 at stumps.Jaiswal and KL Rahul began positively with a 91-run stand before England struck twice in quick succession. Debutant B Sai Sudharsan was dismissed for a four-ball duck, but India wrested control through a 129-run partnership between Gill and Jaiswal. Rishabh Pant’s entertaining unbeaten 65 capped off India’s commanding display.
