ENG vs IND | Ravindra Jadeja’s fighting knock in vain as England win by 22 runs at Lord’s

‌In a thrilling climax at Lord’s, England beat India by 22 runs in the third Test to go 2-1 ahead in the five-match series. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja showed his utility once again with a gritty knock of 61 off 181 balls, but Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes’ three-wicket spells restricted the visitors to 170 in their final essay.

Opting to bat first on a dry surface under warm and sunny conditions, England started uncharacteristically as they managed just 251/4 on day one. Former captain Joe Root completed his 37th Test century with the first ball of day two, but Jasprit Bumrah kept the home side in check with three quick wickets in the first session. An 84-run partnership between Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse for the eighth wicket frustrated the visitors as England ended their first innings at 387. Root top-scored for England, hitting 10 fours during his knock of 104, while Smith (51) and Carse (56) scored entertaining half-centuries. Jasprit Bumrah (5/74) was the pick among Indian bowlers, getting his first five-wicket haul at the iconic venue, while Mohammed Siraj and Nitish Kumar Reddy had two wickets to their names.

In reply, KL Rahul anchored the Indian innings with a patient century, his second at Lord’s. He added 61 runs for the second wicket with Karun Nair before putting on 141 runs with vice-captain Rishabh Pant (74) for the fourth. India were slightly pushed back with the dismissal of both Pant and Rahul (100) in the space of nine balls but Ravindra Jadeja came up with a crucial knock once again. The southpaw scored eight fours and a six to make a gritty 72, and in the company of the lower middle-order, guided India to match the England total. Chris Woakes picked up 3/84 while Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes had two wickets each.

With the match literally being reduced to a one-inning affair, England endured a batting collapse to fold out for 192 in their second innings. Root was once again the top run-getter for the hosts with 40 off 96 balls while skipper Stokes made a fighting 33. Off-spinner Washington Sundar was the wrecker-in-chief with a magical spell of 4/22 that included the wickets of Root, Stokes, and Smith. The pace duo of Siraj and Bumrah ensured that the top order and the tail stayed silent with two wickets each.

Chasing 193, India started on the wrong foot, slipping to 58/4 when play ended on the penultimate day. Pant joined overnight batter Rahul in India’s pursuit to chase down the remaining 135 runs, but another batting collapse saw them get reduced to 82/7. Jadeja came to the fore again, building crucial partnerships with Nitish, Bumrah, and Siraj. But in the end, his fighting unbeaten knock went in vain as India fell short by 22 runs with Archer and Stokes picking up 3/55 and 3/48, respectively.