Shubman Gill's clueless blunder on Test captaincy debut compels ICC for action

Shubman Gill couldn’t have asked for a better start as the Test captain of the India National Cricket Team. On Day 1 of the ongoing first Test against England at Headingley, Shubman Gill led from the front with a brilliant knock, showing calm, class, and full command at the crease.

Gill remained not out on 127, anchoring the innings with calm and confidence. He, along with Yashasvi Jaiswal, put on a 129-run partnership for the second wicket.

After Jaiswal’s dismissal at 101, Rishabh Pant (65*) walked in and added 138 runs with Gill, taking India to a dominant position of 359/3 at stumps on Day 1 in the ongoing first Test against England at Headingley.

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Shubman Gill’s dress code breach in Headingley Test under ICC scanner

But while the right-handed batter’s bat did all the talking on the field, it is his socks that may land him in hot water. In a surprising move, Shubman Gill was spotted wearing black socks with his white Test kit, which is strictly banned under the ICC’s Clothing and Equipment Rules.

The new rules introduced by the ICC in May 2023 on the recommendations from the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the guardians of cricket laws, state that players are not allowed to sport colored socks.

Clause 19.45 of the ICC's Clothing and Equipment Rules and Regulations clearly states that the players must wear white, cream, or light grey-colored socks only in Test matches.

How many of you have been fined for wearing black socks before? 😅 pic.twitter.com/CMf1BN8lG0

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 20, 2025

Match Referee to decide Shubman Gill’s fate over black socks controversy

But Shubman Gill opted to sport black socks, violating ICC’s rules. The decision on whether Gill will be fined for wearing black socks in the ongoing first Test lies with match referee Richie Richardson.

If Richardson considers it a deliberate Level 1 offense, Gill could face a fine of 10–20% of his match fee.

However, if the Indian skipper violated the ICC’s rule accidentally, like due to wet or unavailable white socks, he may escape from the punishment. But it depends entirely on the match referee. In the Level 1 offense, fines range from 0% to 50% of match fees and possible demerit points.

And in the Level 2 offense, a player can be fined in the range between 50% and 100% and may include match bans, though rare for dress code violations unless combined with other misconduct. The official word from the ICC and Richie Richardson is yet to be made on the incident.

Read Also: Watch- Rishabh Pant lashes out at India captain Shubman Gill

ICC fines big names over equipment violations in the past

Meanwhile, a number of cricketers have faced fines for violating the ICC’s clothing and equipment rules in the past. Back in 2018, Indian batter KL Rahul was fined 10% of his match fee during the Test match against Afghanistan for wearing a helmet that didn’t meet ICC safety standards.

Rahul’s helmet lacked the required certification for international matches, and he had to face the ICC’s wrath. And then the West Indies legend Chris Gayle used a black bat in a Big Bash League (BBL) game, which went against ICC's equipment rules regarding bat colors and logos.

As a result, Gayle was fined 10% of his match fee despite it not being an ICC match. Another similar incident happened in 2019 during the ICC Cricket World Cup when the Pakistani opener Imam-ul-Haq used a bat with an unauthorized commercial logo in a match against England.

For this, Imam was handed a fine of 15% of his match fee. Most recently in 2021, England’s modern-era legend Joe Root was fined 15% of his match fee for wearing a jersey with a rainbow emblem in support of the LGBTQ+ community during a Test against India, breaching the ICC’s dress code rules.

Read Also: Ben Stokes ripped apart by Michael Vaughan after Day 1 of Leeds Test