IND vs ENG, Lord's Test: Ravindra Jadeja's valiant effort with the bat ended in agony as India were bowled out for 170, chasing a target of 193 in the third Test of the five-match series at Lord's, London. Having started the day at 58 for 4, with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, and captain Shubman Gill back in the hut yesterday (4th day), KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant were dismissed in quick succession in the morning session of the fifth day, along with Washington Sundar, leaving India in tatters at 82 for 7. Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy kept England at bay for close to 15 overs before Reddy edged one through to the keeper, leaving Jadeja 80 to get with only two wickets in hand.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj showed a lot of character and gave Jadeja good support at the other end. But in the end, the lower-order was left too much to get, as Shoaib Bashir got the final wicket. Bumrah played 54 balls for his 5 before Stokes got the better of him, while Siraj played 30 balls for his 4. Jadeja ran out of partners and remained unbeaten on 61, as England took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

KL Rahul drop catch: Rahul dropped Jamie Smith at second slip when he was on 5. Smith went on to make 51 off 56 and helped England reach a competitive first innings total. The catch was vital in the context of the game, and kind of shifted the momentum in England's favour, when the Indian bowlers were truly on top of the England batters.

Rishabh Pant Run-Out: Pant and Rahul looked in no trouble whatsoever on the third morning of the Lord's Test before the India wicket-keeper called for a quick single in order to give Rahul the strike to score his century. This was the last over before lunch, and India were bossing the game at the time. England captain Ben Stokes, whose brilliant one-handed pick-up led to the run-out (direct-hit) welcomed the breakthrough, and his reaction before the break showed how important that wicket was for England. India were 248 for 3 when Pant was dismissed. That may have cost India a crucial 50-run lead on a wicket that was only going to get worse as the game progressed.

Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar's lack of intent in the first innings: While Reddy and Sundar did their bit by hanging in there, their collective 53 off 167 balls slowed the game down considerably. Having said that, it was probably not that easy with the ball getting softer and softer after every over. But a bit more intent, and India may have been much better placed at the end of their first innings.

32 Extras in the 2nd innings: India gave away 32 extras, out of which 25 were byes in the second innings. In a low-scoring second innings match, that played a massive role in getting England close to the 200-run mark. While India's stand-in wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel kept really well for the majority of the match, some of the byes were beyond his reach. It was just wayward bowling from the Indian pacers. Something that India could have well avoided.

Poor Start To 192-Run Chase: India got off to a very poor start in the chase as Jaiswal, Nair, and Gill - all were dismissed cheaply at the end of the fourth day's play. None of the top-order batters looked assured at the crease, except Rahul, and it seemed just a matter of time before they would be dismissed. This wasn't the worst fifth-day wicket, and a little bit of character and resistance from the top-order would have done a world of good to India's chances. Jadeja's innings just went to prove further that if they had shown a bit more application with the bat, it was a chaseable target.

The fourth Test match of the series is scheduled to take place at the Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, starting Wednesday, 23rd July, 2025.