London: Veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and the usually fragile tail brought India back from the brink but fell heartbreakingly short in the face of England captain Ben Stokes’ resolve, going down by 22 runs in the wildly fluctuating third Test here Monday.
Down and out at 112 for eight, Jadeja (61 not out off 181) took the game deep with the help of Jasprit Bumrah (5 off 54) and Mohammed Siraj (4 off 30) before agonisingly ending up on the wrong side of the result in a game for the ages. The visitors trail 1-2 in the five-match series.
India were chasing a seemingly gettable 193 but folded for 170 after their front-line batters endured a rare collective failure, engineered by the pace trio of Jofra Archer (3/55), player of the match Stokes (3/48) and Brydon Carse (2/30).
Siraj showed plenty of fight, as he always does, but his forward defence off Shoaib Bashir rolled back to his stumps, bringing him down on his knees in despair and a thrilling finish to the match.
In an extended afternoon session, Jadeja batted efficiently alongside Bumrah and Siraj to take the visitors to 30 runs shy of the victory target of 193.
The southpaw showed the stomach for fight as he batted out the two and a half hour session with the tail-enders.
India were 163 for nine at tea, collecting 41 runs in the session for the loss of Bumrah (5 off 54), enthralling a packed crowd that got it’s money’s worth thanks to the gritty cricket on display by both the sides.
It was Jadeja’s fourth half-century in a row and came in the most trying circumstances with India staring at a big defeat.
In the morning, the match looked as good as over for India whose inexperienced batting line-up failed in its first major test and surrendered against the Archer-led England pace attack.
India, who batted brilliantly in the first two Tests, could not stand the test of Archer and Co. on a spicy day five pitch.
The outcome was a foregone conclusion when Chris Woakes had Nitish Reddy caught behind at the stroke of lunch to leave India tottering.
However, Jadeja’s steely effort created a glimmer of hope for India.
Starting the day at 58 for four and needing another 135 runs on a rapidly deteriorating surface with variable bounce, India needed their experienced batters to fire for their fourth success at the iconic ground since 1932 but it was not to be.
The loss of Rishabh Pant (9 off 12 balls), KL Rahul (39 off 58) and Washington Sundar (0 off 4) inside the first hour made the chase an improbable task for India.
The key for India was the presence of Rahul and Pant in the middle but both departed in a space of 18 balls.
They needed to see out Archer’s spell but the tearaway pacer struck twice to put England on top.
Pant, who injured his left index finger while keeping on day one, clearly looked in discomfort while facing the extreme pace of Archer, wincing in pain every time the ball hurried on to his bat.
Pant tried his best to make a difference, collecting a couple of fours via a flick and a one-handed drive off the Barbados-born bowler.
Archer, making a Test comeback after more than four years, flaunted his X-factor status once again as he produced a beauty to send back a half-fit Pant back into the dressing room.
The ball straightened just enough from the angle to shatter Pant’s off-stump.
Considering the occasion and the high intensity of players from both teams, it was not a surprise to see Archer having a quick word with Pant as the wicket-keeper started his walk back to the players’ balcony via the legendary Long Room.
Rahul, at the other end, needed to hold the innings together but when he departed three overs after Pant’s dismissal, the writing was on the wall.
Stokes bowled his heart out from the Nursery End and got the important wicket of in-form Rahul with a ball that seamed back profusely to trap him lbw.
The on-field umpire thought the ball was not hitting the stumps but Stokes got the decision overturned through a successful DRS appeal, drawing a loud roar from the crowd.
Washington was the next to come in and he lasted only four balls with Archer taking a sharp catch to his right off his own bowling.
The grounds have witnessed packed crowds on all days of the three Tests held so far and despite being a Monday morning, a sea of England and Indian fans queued up outside the Lord’s hours before play.
With the last batting pair of Jadeja and Reddy in the centre, India struggled to 95 for seven after the first hour of play. The pitch was playing its tricks and Jadeja and Reddy looked to defend rather than counter attack.
Stokes, the warrior that he is, bowled a nine-over spell during which Reddy drove him through the cover to claim India’s first four in 80 balls, summing up the visiting side’s approach.
There is an eight-day gap before the start of the fourth Test in Manchester from July 23.
PTI
