Gill Scores a Century, But Could Face Heavy ICC Fine for Breaking a Major Rule - Big Penalty Coming?

Headingley(The Uttam Hindu): India started strong in the first Test against England at Headingley, with centuries from captain Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal pushing the team's score past 300 on Day 1. However, Gill may face action from the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching dress code regulations during his innings.

According to ICC Rule 19.45, players in Test matches must wear white, cream, or light-colored socks. Gill, however, wore black socks while batting, which violates this rule introduced in May 2023, based on Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) recommendations. This could be considered a Level 1 offence.

Match referee Richie Richardson will review the incident. If deemed intentional, Gill could be fined 10–20% of his match fee. If the violation is found to be accidental, such as due to wet white socks, he may escape punishment.

This is not the first time players have faced penalties for dress code violations. In 2018, KL Rahul was fined 10% for wearing a non-compliant helmet in a Test against Afghanistan. Chris Gayle used a black bat in the Big Bash League in 2016 and was fined. In the 2019 World Cup, Imam-ul-Haq was penalised 15% for using unauthorised logos. In 2021, Joe Root was fined for wearing a rainbow-themed jersey to support LGBTQ+ rights during a Test against India. Despite the controversy, Gill’s century marks a solid start to his Test captaincy.