Ravindra Jadeja raised India’s hopes at Lord’s in the third Test on Monday after the team went eight down. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj gave him brave support but England had the last laugh. Ben Stokes‘ men trumped India by 22 runs after five days of gripping and absorbing Test cricket. England were put on course for a memorable win on Day 5 when Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes dismissed Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul before Chris Woakes took out Nitish Kumar Reddy at the stroke of lunch. Washington Sundar was dismissed by Archer.
Then, Jadeja launched a gritty fight-back. England survived the onslaught to seal a stunning 22-run win over India at Lord’s and take a 2-1 lead in the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series.
Here are five reasons for India’s loss:
1. Approach towards chasing 193
India had to chase 193 in the final innings, on the final day, but they came out with a defensive approach. Their shot selection had the English bowlers dominate. Archer and Stokes picked up three wickets each in the second innings. While Jadeja gave India a push for a win at the other end, and KL Rahul displayed intent by scoring 39, none of the other batters survived against the relentlessness of the English pace battery.
2. Pant-Rahul mix up
Vice Captain Rishabh Pant has had a great series. He scored 74 in the first innings. But a moment of madness saw him involved in a totally unnecessary run out. KL Rahul had admitted that momentum had shifted at that moment when Pant was gone. India were 248/4 in the first innings then.
3. India’s top order & Nightwatchman fail to impress
India’s opener and No.3 failed to give India a good start. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 13 and 0, while Karun Nair got starts but failed to convert them into big scores. Nair is yet to impress in the series. India’s strategy of sending Akash Deep as the nightwatchman also backfired.
4. Jamie Smith‘s drop in 1st innings
When Jamie Smith was dropped by KL Rahul in the first innings, Mohammed Siraj was stunned. The English wicket-keeper added 51 runs from 56 balls as England went from 265/5 to 355/7
5. Extras Conceded
The Indian bowlers conceded 31 extras in the first innings and 32 in the second. A total of 63 extras were gifted, that hurt India in the end