England have India on the mat in the Lord's Test on Day 5 (Monday, July 14, 2025). The leg-before-wicket (LBW) dismissal of KL Rahul could perhaps turn out to be the inflexion point in not just the Indian chase, but also the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. And all-time cricket great Sunil Gavaskar was not satisfied at all with the Decision Review System (DRS) technology, as Ben Stokes' review showed the ball projected to be hitting the stumps.
Starting the day at 58 for four and needing another 135 runs on a swiftly 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), Rahul (39 off 58) and Washington Sundar (0 off 4) inside the first hour made chasing 193 an improbable task for India in the crucial ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 encounter.
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 in a fiery spell to put England on top. Rahul needed to hold the innings together but when he departed three overs after Pant’s dismissal, the writing was on the wall.
England captain Stokes bowled his heart out from the Nursery End and got the all important wicket of the 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, drawing a loud roar from the crowd, through the DRS.
What Sunil Gavaskar Said
Gavaskar disagreed with how the DRS showed the ball's trajectory. "Surprisingly, this one did not bounce that much. When Indian bowlers were bowling balls were going above the stump mostly in reviews," Gavaskar said on commentary. Former England skipper Michael Vaughan, who was his fellow commentator, tried to cool things down.
"I am questioning the technology,” Gavaskar added.
The five-match India vs England Test series is level 1-1, and whoever wins the third Test will gain a massive advantage, heading into the penultimate encounter at Manchester.
(With PTI inputs)
