From the time India lost four wickets in the first session on Day 5 of the third Test against England at Lord’s, the threat of a big defeat loomed large on Shubman Gill and co. At the start of the day, India needed just 135 with six wickets in hand but that target too looked humongous when the first session ended. Then, came a lone-warrior effort from all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Despite him and the lower order giving it their all, India were so close yet so far to register a miraculous victory by being bowled out for 170 in 74.5 overs. For England, skipper Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer took three wickets each off bowling 24 and 16 overs respectively, while Brydon Carse had two scalps.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar felt the batters’ inability to strike a partnership hit the team hard.
“A partnership of 60-70 would have made a difference. India never got that. You could say that Jadeja could have taken the odd chance and not necessarily the aerial route when Joe Root and Shoaib Bashir was bowling. But full marks to him (Jadeja),” Sunil Gavaskar said on Sony Sports.
England were put on course for a memorable win when Stokes and Archer picked three wickets, including of Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, in the first hour, before Woakes took out Nitish Kumar Reddy at the stroke of lunch.
Under cloudy skies, Pant began by whipping a poor delivery from Archer for four, before taking off his injured bottom hand four times while dealing with 140kmph and above pacy deliveries from the fast bowler, who constantly attacked the stumps.
After Pant creamed Archer for a one-handed drive through mid-on for four, the fast bowler bounced back by getting one to straighten past his outside edge and send the left-hander’s off stump on a cartwheel ride to dismiss him for nine.
A tireless Stokes conjured up magic yet again when he got one to nip back in sharply and hit Rahul on the back pad. Despite the passionate appeal, the umpire gave it not out and Stokes got to turn the decision on review, as replays showed ball hitting top of stumps, leaving him and England jubilant.
Archer created another moment of brilliance by taking a one-handed catch to his right in his follow-through to dismiss Washington Sundar for a four-ball duck. From 82/7, Jadeja and Reddy rotated the strike while defending at every possibility to ensure India crossed 100-run mark in the 32nd over.
With the ball going soft, it helped Jadeja and Reddy to hang around, despite the former getting into a collision with Brydon Carse while going for two runs. Reddy finally got India its first boundary in 80 balls with a well-timed uppish drive going past diving cover for four, before inside edging just past his stumps for a streaky brace.
But at the stroke of lunch, Woakes found Reddy’s outside edge via a short ball angled from wide of the crease and Jamie Smith took a simple catch behind the stumps to end a stubborn partnership, leaving England to pick just two wickets to win the match post lunch.
With IANS inputs
