India Lose 3rd Test On Day 5 To ENG By 22 Runs: India lost the 3rd Test to England by just 22 runs in one of the most thrilling games of red-ball cricket in some time, as Ravindra Jadeja nearly pulled off a miracle.
Today was Day 5 of the 3rd England vs India Test match of the five-game Anderson Tendulkar Trophy being played at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. The match saw the home side win the toss and decide to bat first, making 387 runs on the first two days.
The Indian Cricket Team then followed it up by tying the first innings scores, with nothing separating the two sides after three days of cricket. Starting from zero for their second inning, the Three Lions were cruising at 154/4, with Joe Root and captain Ben Stokes on strike. But a massive collapse resulted in the team getting all out for 192.
With 193 runs required to win, Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for a duck. Karun Nair and KL Rahul played cautiously for some time before Karun got out for 14. Before the end of the day’s play on Day 4, captain Shubman Gill and nightwatchman Akash Deep were dismissed for six and one run respectively, with the Men in Blue reeling at 58/4.
India Lose 3rd Test On Day 5 To England By 22 Runs
Day Five started with KL Rahul at 33 at the strike with the incoming Rishabh Pant. The Indian wicketkeeper could not score many runs, as at the score of nine, he was bowled by Jofra Archer, with the score now being 71/9. KL Rahul departed soon after, scoring 39 runs with the team score now 81/6.
In the very next over, Washington Sundar got out for a duck after a brilliant caught and bowled by Archer. At 82/7, Ravindra Jadeja was left on strike with Nitish Kumar Reddy as the match looked all by over with 111 more runs required for victory.
Jadeja played the role of the veteran who has been batting with the underwhelming Indian tail for a decade. Meanwhile, Reddy looked to be struggling against the English pace attack of Archer, Stokes, and Brydon Carse.
Just before lunch, Nitish Reddy was caught behind for 13, leaving Ravindra Jadeja with the tailenders, with 81 runs required for victory.
And now came the time of patience and will. Reddy’s wicket fell in the 40th over of the inning. The strategy was not for ‘Jaddu’ to play at least four deliveries of an over, leaving the incoming Bumrah to play the last two. This system worked for the next 21 overs.
Check Out: India Lose 3rd Test On Day 5 To England By 22 Runs
During this partnership of about 20 overs, only 35 runs were scored. The runs that were not singles were made via fours behind the wicketkeeper. Bumrah played 53 balls and scored just five runs before, off a short delivery by Ben Stokes, Jasprit attempted to pull the ball down the leg side but instead skied the ball, which was caught on its way down.
At 147/9 and 46 more runs required for a win, the Indian Cricket Team’s situation was even more desperate. England spread their field to the boundary rope when Jadeja was on strike, and brought everyone close with Siraj on strike.
However, India’s strategy was still the same, with the all-rounder playing most deliveries. The two took India into the tea break, after which they looked determined to take the team home. On the last ball of the 74th over by Archer, with three batters standing close in on the leg side, Siraj took a ball to the shoulder and looked injured.
But the match was close to a heart-breaking end. Having had to play four balls of the 75th over by Shoaib Bashir, Siraj navigated two balls with ease. However, on the fifth ball, he defended the ball, which, rather than stopping in its tracks, gently rolled into the stumps, with bails falling. At 170 runs, India had lost their final wicket and lost the game by 22 runs.
This loss at Lord’s would disappoint all the Indian Cricket Team fans. But the person who’d take it the hardest is Ravindra Jadeja, who played 181 balls and scored 61 runs, keeping India alive in the game for hours longer than he was supposed to.
With this loss, India falls 2-1 behind in this five-match series after three matches. The fourth game will be played at the Old Trafford Cricket Stadium in Manchester and will commence on July 23.
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