Lord's witnessed a series of bizarre running incidents on Day 3 of the third Test between India and England, highlighted by a "brainfade" moment from young Nitish Kumar Reddy and renewed scrutiny on Ravindra Jadeja's unique run-out record.
The chaos began just before lunch when Rishabh Pant fell to a quick single, marking only the second run-out for India at Lord's in their last eight Tests since 1990. However, this was merely a prelude to the drama that unfolded.
The most perplexing moment arrived in the 71st over, featuring a nervous Nitish Kumar Reddy and the ever-present Ravindra Jadeja. With Reddy yet to get off the mark and visibly under pressure, a sharp call for a single turned into a comedic near-miss.
"My word, these two are writing a different script as far as running between the wickets is concerned. This was a yes, no, wait, maybe, another time," exclaimed Prakash Wakankar on BBC Test Match Special
Jofra Archer, convinced he had Jadeja plumb LBW, was so preoccupied with his appeal that he missed the opportunity to complete the run-out as Reddy, frozen in indecision, remained rooted to his crease. The throw, fortunately for India, also missed the stumps.
Cricket statistician Andy Zaltzman quickly unearthed a telling stat: Ravindra Jadeja has now been involved in nine run-outs in his Test career. Strikingly, he has only been dismissed once himself, with his partners falling on eight occasions.
The palpable tension surrounding India's running between the wickets was evident in Cheteshwar Pujara's commentary after Reddy finally got off the mark with a legitimate single. "Finally, a proper single. I am not sure what I am witnessing, but it is bizarre. Before lunch, India made a mistake, but they need to learn from it," Pujara remarked, also questioning Jadeja's role. "I am not sure what these guys are doing. Ravindra Jadeja is very quick between the wickets, but he needs to think about his partner as well."
The chaotic running continued, prompting Stephan Shemilt, BBC Sport chief cricket reporter at Lord's, to highlight England's missed chances. "Possibly for the first run, Pope ran out of chance, and certainly for the second, England needed someone to get to the striker's stumps. Archer had followed through so far that he was actually closer than the turning Reddy. Where was Smith?" he mused on air, pointing fingers at England's fielding lapses.
Despite the chaotic running, Jadeja and Reddy managed to forge a valuable 72-run fifth-wicket partnership before Ben Stokes finally dismissed Reddy for a fighting 30 off 91 balls. As the third session of Day 3 progresses, Ravindra Jadeja is now batting alongside Washington Sundar, with India striving to establish a significant lead over England.
