England Defeat India By 22 Runs To Take 2-1 Lead In Test Series

KEY POINTS

Ravindra Jadeja’s unbeaten 61 and late resistance with Jasprit Bumrah nearly sparked an Indian comeback from 112 for 8.
Shoaib Bashir’s spinning delivery to dismiss Mohammed Siraj sealed England’s thrilling victory.

LONDON: England defeated India by 22 runs in a thrilling third Test at Lord’s on Monday, taking a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

India, set 193 to win, were dismissed for 170 after tea on the last day, with the match ending when last man Mohammed Siraj played on to off-spinner Shoaib Bashir.

Ravindra Jadeja was 61 not out — the all-rounder’s fourth consecutive fifty this series — after taking India to within sight of what would have been a remarkable win.

England captain Ben Stokes bowled two lengthy spells Monday on his way to innings figures of 3-48, with express fast bowler Jofra Archer — in his first Test after more than four years of injury-induced exile — taking 3-55.

For India, the finish was bittersweet. From staring down the barrel at 112 for 8, to clawing their way to 170 thanks to Ravindra Jadeja’s gallant unbeaten 61, the visitors gave the hosts a nervy afternoon before falling just short. But England, sharp as ever on home soil, held their nerve and their line.

Jasprit Bumrah partnered with Jadeja in a desperate late resistance, his 54-ball stay ending when Ben Stokes, the talismanic England skipper, finally broke through. With Bumrah gone, the writing was on the Lord’s wall.

The final act came with a twist: Mohammed Siraj, defending courageously, saw a Shoaib Bashir delivery grip, loop, and spin backwards after pitching – a devilish over spin causing the ball to flick the bails and end the drama. An anti-climactic but bizarre end to a fierce battle.

India’s chase of 193 began on a tightrope, and it didn’t take long for that rope to fray. Starting the day at 58 for 4, needing 135 more, the hopes rested squarely on KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant.

But Archer, making a thunderous return to Test cricket after four long years, had other plans.

Pant, clearly hindered by a finger injury sustained earlier in the match, grimaced through every delivery.

He briefly thrilled the crowd with a flick and a signature one-handed drive, but his cameo was cut short by a searing delivery that kissed the top of the off-stump. Rahul (39) and Washington Sundar (0) followed soon after.

At lunch, India were 112 for 8 — seemingly done and dusted. Yet, Jadeja had different ideas.

With precision and patience, Jadeja stitched crucial runs with the tail. A calculated counterattack turned what seemed like a meek ending into a riveting finale. Bumrah blocked, Jadeja batted, and England briefly looked rattled.

The pair added 51 runs for the ninth wicket, bringing the target within sniffing distance. But when Bumrah fell, the gasps in the Lord’s crowd gave way to loud roars — Stokes had cracked the code.

Siraj hung on admirably, but it was Bashir — not the most experienced, but clearly growing in stature — who sealed it with a dream delivery that spun past the bat and snuck behind to dislodge the bails.

India now trail 2-1, with two Tests left to claw their way back. The series, though, is anything but one-sided. England may have the edge, but it’s a narrow one. Both teams have shown brilliance and brittleness, trading blows like heavyweight boxers refusing to go down.

And so, the caravan rolls on to Old Trafford in eight days, where more fireworks are certain to fly, and where one side will try to grab the momentum that’s swinging like a pendulum.