'That's village', said Butcher. Now, Gill could lose up to 50% match fee for his choice of socks

From former England batter and current commentator Mark Butcher to cricket podcasters, all were spellbound by the ease with which India batter Shubman Gill scored his second century away from home and first as Test captain.

But it was not his batting prowess or his approach to captaincy that caught the attention of commentators and cricket bloggers. First to air his opinion was former England batter Mark Butcher. Seeing the black socks Gill wore while batting, he called it out. "That is village; his batting is anything but," the experienced caller said while on air. 

Sam Perry and Ian Higgins, the hosts of the popular The Grade Cricketer podcast, in their inimical, irreverent style, also called the socks 'village'

It turns out that Gill has not only offended the fashion brigade among cricket fans but also contravened the ICC's clothing rules. Black socks are a strict no-no.

Sky, the local broadcaster, humorously tweeted, "How many of you have been fined for wearing black socks before?"

Here's why Gill is in trouble with the law with his black socks. Clause 19.45 of the ICC’s Clothing and Equipment Rules stipulates that players only wear white, cream, or light grey socks while playing Test matches. The same colours are permitted in ODIs, along with the colour of the team’s trousers.

ICC’s rules on clothing and equipment came into effect in May 2023.

However, it depends on how the match referee views the incident, "either as a deliberate violation of the law or an inadvertent one."

If punished, Gill faces a Level 1 offence, where players receive a fine of up to 50 per cent of their match fees. A demerit point could be awarded if the match referee finds out that he deliberately wore black socks to the crease after lunch on Day 1.