3RD TEST , ENGLAND Vs INDIA , LORD’S LONDON, 2025 HIGHLIGHTS : England Claimed A Thrilling Victory Against India At Lord’s .
India have narrowly missed completing one of the great runs chases in Test history on the fifth day of a thrilling third test at Lord’s, going down to England by 22 runs. Having fallen to 112/8 at lunch – chasing 193 – India launched a massive rebuild, led by all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s half-century and supported by the extraordinary defiance of No. 10 Jasprit Bumrah and No. 11 Mohammed Siraj. But two balls before the end, Siraj was dismissed (run out) in the 75th over, all out for 170. The win gives England a 2-1 lead in the five-Test series. England Claimed A Thrilling Victory Against India At Lord’s .
TOSS-
England win the toss and choose to bat.
PLAYING XI-
England Squad:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir
India Squad:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
DAY-1
England’s decision to bat in the third Test was a tall order. The percentage of false shots in the first 15 overs of the innings was 38.4% – the highest in the first 15 overs of any Test innings in England since 2006. England’s run rate slowed somewhat as a consequence, simply not finding the fence as regularly as they’ve become accustomed to in the Bazball era. Though Akash and Bumrah were unlucky not to have a wicket against their names, Nitish Reddy would experience the other side of the coin. He sent down a waist-high full toss that Ben Duckett gloved a pull down the leg side in his opening over. He followed that a couple of balls later with a beautiful away-seamer that drew the edge from Zak Crawley.
Pope also rode his luck in company with a skittish Root, to survive that phase with a battling partnership. They were treading so slowly at one point they even posted a period of four overs without a run. The run-rate of 2.91 was also England’s second slowest at home in the Bazball era across a full season. Root, however, added his 103rd fifty-plus score before Pope also approached the landmark by the time of Tea. But second ball after the break, Pope was caught behind trying to dab a delivery off Ravindra Jadeja. The stand-in ‘keeper Dhruv Jurel – who had replaced Rishabh Pant who was off the field injured with a finger injury in the second session – took a smart catch behind the stumps to break the obdurate stand.
India took more dents just as Bumrah dismissed Harry Brook with a vicious incoming delivery. England were in a spot of bother yet again at 172/4. Root, now with the company of one day old Ben Stokes picked up the cudgels and fought on as he has done all day in his watchful way and his captain became the latest who would offer him a willing ear. Among those under the pump for poor returns with the bat leading into the Test was Stokes and he, too got caught in after a few flashy shots in the early going. Their 50-run partnership came off hundred balls but it also kept India at bay.
DAY-2
Root notched his 37th Test hundred of his career on day’s play only to see Bumrah dismiss Stokes, Root and Chris Woakes in the space of two overs. Smith was put down a regulation chance by Rahul in the slips, and the wicketkeeper-batter capitalized on his reprieve. A very odd change of ball by India, who were skittling things around, after only 10.4 overs also played into England’s hands too.
Smith and Carse made the runs come at a fast lick and never gave India a sniff once they had fought through a testing time in the game. The ‘keeper-batter looked to be shaping for an expressed extra-cover drive and then completed 50 in running a single off the last ball before Lunch. Smith fell trying to drive Mohammad Siraj, edging one to the ‘keeper and put an end to the 84-run stand. Bumrah’s fifer, first at Lord’s, came when he had Archer clean bowled. With one wicket standing, Carse was put down twice in an over much to Siraj’s frustration. It was bookended by a six over the ground as the all-rounder brought up his fifty. But the bowler finally got his reward when a yorker bowled Carse to finish the innings on 387.
The Indian response was opened by Yashasvi Jaiswal who struck three boundaries off the first over of the Indian innings. But his sojourn was brief and Archer had one angled away from the left hander, which Jaiswal poked at and got enough to take it straight to Harry Brook in the slip-cauldron. Then Rahul did the repair job while England had their nose ahead in the game.
Nair (40) was unable to make another promising start count. The shoulder of the bat was found as Stokes edged it and Root took a sensational catch at first slip to break the record of most catches by fielders in the outfield in Test cricket. England naturally went straight to Jofra Archer as soon as Gill came in to bat Indian captain was very uncertain early in the piece, to the extra pace. Rahul still cut the ball late, under his eyes and picked up the ones and twos behind the wicket.
Gill (16) then went when he edged behind off Chris Woakes to Smith standing up to the stumps, following an attractive straight drive down the ground. The plan worked for England with the seamer just-about finding a modicum of tail away from the right-hander. Rishabh Pant was up against Shoaib Bashir when he arrived at the crease. Once he settled down, he hit two boundaries against the offspinner. The vigilant Rahul went on to score 50 and remained a stoic figure at the crease for the visitors.
DAY-3
Rahul cut the shackles and accelerated into the 70s with a spate of boundaries with first-change bowler Brydon Carse at the receiving end. The two leg-side freebies were clipped to the deep square leg fence by Rahul and the short-and-wide delivery, sandwiched in-between, was eased through the gap between gully and point with no fuss to complete a hat-trick of fours. Rahul then completed India’s 200 after an extended drinks break, against the backdrop of a second ball change of the session, in 11 overs.
Even for a very minimally restrained knock, Pant got to fifty Pant-style when he fetched a short one from Stokes flat over long-leg ropes, in the process going past Viv Richards for the most sixes (34) by a player against England in Tests. It was his eighth fifty in England, joint-most with MS Dhoni for most fifty plus scores by a visiting ‘keeper in UK. Pant added some more runs with the entry of spin into the attack, hitting Shoaib Bashir for a six straight over his head. Stokes kept targeting Pant with short stuff that troubled the Indian’s sore left hand somewhat. But the southpaw virtuoso kept depositing them in his own unorthodox ways until the English captain found a way round him.
It required a moment of shimmering enthusiasm offered by the fielder, Stokes and the risk of an unnecessary run on the cusp of Lunch to break the stalemate for the hosts. Keen to get on strike, Rahul – batting on 98 – attempted to steal a risky single after Pant had defended a Bashir delivery to the off-side. Stokes smelt the doubt in the batsman, and charged in from covers to pick the ball and hit bulls-eye at the non-striker’s end to end Pant’s defiant innings at 74.
The Indian will have an internal battle to fight when the teams return after the break. An incredibly disciplined knock from Rahul, but just as soon as his second Test hundred at Lord’s, a momentary loss of focus led to his wicket. Bashir tempted him with a flighted delivery, and the centurion nicked to first slip where Harry Brook held on to a low chance.
The fifty of the partnership came after drinks, and England finally had the breakthrough just before their lead dipped into single digits. Jadeja had looked unstoppable for his rapid 72, but was strangled down the leg-side by Woakes and Jamie Smith claimed a sharp low catch. Akash Deep was not out to two shouts of leg before off his first three balls, which saved him DRS – on both occasions, the ball-tracking revealing the line to be just going down leg to to rub salt into Woakes’, and England’s, wounds.
Akash hoisted Archer for a six before being hit wicket off Carse with a stunning catch by Brook at second slip. The third wicket of the innings for Woakes was in Jasprit Bumuah who edged behind when the scores were tied and three balls later Archer bowled Washington for 23 to ensure India did not have any lead.
Time-wasting charges formed part of the accusations England openers faced for having tried to ensure they would have to face no more than one over in the free-overs period of five minutes left on the day after the break. In the midst of the hullaballoo and the boos, Zak Crawley whipped a couple off Bumrah to hand England the narrow lead before stumps were finally drawn on a drama-filled day in London.
DAY-4
Bumrah and Siraj continued to be a handful and the latter got one to nip back in and catch Pope in front, his review in vain. Nitish Reddy, Bumrah’s replacement, was cut for four by Crawley but had him caught at gully by where Jaiswal took his first catch of the series later in his over. Root and Harry Brook then calmed the innings down, negotiating Nitish and Akash without much fuss. Root played a couple of delightful square drives, and Brook a couple of creamy scoops, in an over that ended when the right-hander launched Akash for six down the ground. He also sent Reddy back for four before Akash, having had treatment to his back, returned to have Brook bowled for 23 and bring an end to a 37-run stand. Bumrah was brought back for a brief spell towards the end of the session but Root and Stokes saw him off as England went into Lunch at 98 for 4.
Siraj bowled for an over after the break and was unfortunate not to have Root adjudged leg-before when the umpire’s call went against the batter, who had shuffled too far across. Washington came on from the Nursery boundary and obtained some turn while Jadeja was reintroduced from the Pavilion end. The spinners operated well in tandem and were eventually rewarded when Root was bowled after attempting to sweep Washington. Smith attempted to his a quicker delivery off the back foot and was bowled in the process by Mishra off the very next delivery. Stokes and Woakes guided England to Tea at 174 for 6, leaving 27 overs of the session to be filled for just 77 runs.
Washington began the final session by Bumrah at the other end. The Indian captain had his England counterpart run out at the non-striker’s end. But it did not prove to be a huge miss as Stokes, who had swepped Sundar for a four, was bowled for 33 going for a similar shot. Bumrah followed it up with a pinpoint yorker to rattle Carse’s sticks and pick up his first wicket of the innings. India then used their second review on a caught-behind appeal against Jofra Archer, in the same over. Bumrah looked like he was having trouble with his calf, but there was no soreness in him when he ran in and pinned Chris Woakes. In walked an injured Shoaib Bashir, who, with Archer, blocked India for a while before he too got bowled by Washington.
The Indian openers weren’t made to feel the pitch and the variable bounce easy by Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer. Wokes set the tone in the first over when he had Yashasvi Jaiswal caught behind for a duck after he tried to pull a Jofra Archer delivery that reared up steeply.
Ben Stokes called himself into attack as first change and Rahul played with soft hands around and through slips for another boundary, but there was one in the same over that took off and whistled toward the edge of Rahul’s bat. Carse was able to conjure some swing, and when Nair played and missed at one outside off the over after reaching his fifty, he shouldered arms to one that came back in, and he was gone LBW having contributed 15.
In Carse’s next over, Gill had a caught-behind decision overturned with the help of DRS and then whipped a full toss for a four. But he was to prove expensive for India as Khaleel fell for 6, hit on the pads by a delivery from Carse that nipped back in. Umpire’s call on leg-before saved nightwatchman Akash Deep, also from falling to Carse, and to compound matters the batter called on the physio for strapping to seemingly add to the drama. It was a fascinating day of play which concluded with Stokes castling Akash to leave England clawing back after having been shot out for less than 200.
DAY-5
Having being hit to the fence twice by Rishabh Pant, Archer uprooted the Indian’s off-stump and gave him a send-off. Stokes then pinned KL Rahul leg-before-wicket with a nip-backer. Not given on field, Stokes challenged on review but was vindicated as ball-tracking showed three reds. Archer then produced a one-handed low stunner in his follow-through off his own bowling in the very next over to dismiss Washington Sundar for a duck before the all-rounder could get off the mark. The fall of 3 for 11 in four overs left India reeling at 82 for 7.
Reddy had impressed with his dogged defence to blunt England for almost an hour but Woakes struck with the last ball before Lunch to put his team in command. The all-rounder tickled to slip for 13 to make it 112 for 8, 81 more still needed to secure the lead in that series for England.
Jadeja came down the pitch, denying Bumrah singles, to protect him from strike and the fast bowler battled it out. The second run off Bumrah’s blade was just 41 deliveries away as he played the perfect second fiddle to the all-rounder. Stokes really kept bowling short trying to bounce him out, and Bumrah did have a couple of misses. In the end, it was a back of the length delivery from the English skipper that forced him to pull across the line and end his relentless 54-ball struggle, when Bumrah pulled him to five.
Moments to go for Tea, the session was extended, but Mohammed Siraj stepped out with similar zest – to deny England any break. To that effect he copped one on his hand, raised his bat in celebration of Jadeja’s fifty on his behalf, and almost outlasted Carse and Stokes before registering his account after 19 balls. Jadeja way punk his fourth half-century in as many innings of the series, reached to the feat with a risky four of Stokes but saved the trademark sword celebration for a better occasion.
That opportunity never came, though. England had turned to spin for the final session, and it was Bashir in the end – finger clearly injured – to provide the wicket they so badly wanted. An anguished Siraj was there, rooted to his spot in shock – bowled for 4 off 30 balls – after England completed a 22-run win five overs into the final session of a captivating Test.
Brief scores:
England 387 (Joe Root 104, Brydon Carse 56, Jamie Smith 51; Jasprit Bumrah 5-74) & 192 (Joe Root 40; Washington Sundar 4-22, Siraj 2-31) beat India 387 (KL Rahul 100, Rishabh Pant 74, Ravindra Jadeja 72; Chris Woakes 3-84, Jofra Archer 2-52) & 170 (Ravindra Jadeja 61\*; Ben Stokes 3-48, Jofra Archer 3-55) by 22 runs.