India's new Test captain Shubman Gill made a good beginning to his captaincy in the 1st Test against England at Headingley. He scored an aggressive and stylish century and taking India to 359/3 at the end of Day 1 with ease. But despite his good showing, Gill can face action from the ICC, not for his batting or captaincy, but for some other reason. Gill wore black socks rather than the traditional white ones for the game. That is an issue under ICC regulations. The International Cricket Council (ICC) may fine him for this. Also Read | Watch: Pant’s Fearless Four Off Stokes Sparks Friendly Banter What Do ICC Regulations Say Regarding Socks? The ICC Clothing and Equipment Rules (Clause 19.45) explicitly state that players in Test matches are to wear white, cream, or light grey socks. The rules were revised in May 2023 following recommendations from MCC, which authors the laws of cricket. But on-field, during the match, Shubman Gill was observed sporting black socks, which is not allowed. This can be a Level 1 offence. Did This Ever Occur Before? Yes, in BBL 2016, Chris Gayle wore a bat with a black blade and was docked 10% of his match fee, despite it not being an ICC event. Apart from him, KL Rahul, Imam-ul-Haq and Joe Root has been fined in the past for breaching ICC's Clothing and Equipment Rules. Also Read | Sai Sudharsan Joins Unwanted List After 4-Ball Duck on Test Debut Will Shubman Gill Also Be Fined? That is at the discretion of the match referee, Richie Richardson. If he happens to spot the black socks and assumes it was intentional, Gill may be fined 10–20% of his match fee. If it was an error, or if Gill had no option (say, because his white socks were wet), he may not be fined at all. The decision of whether or not the act was intentional rests with the referee. Here's how the ICC categorizes offences: Level 1 Offence: Fine of 0–50% of the match fee, and perhaps demerit points. Level 2 Offence: 50–100% fine and/or match ban (only for rare dress code offences unless other behaviour is involved). For the moment, fans will wait to see if the ICC does anything about Gill or allows it to pass.