Could a more cruel end to India's exemplary defiance have been possible? Overspin from Shoaib Bashir and the softest of touches to the base of the stumps, and Mohammed Siraj was left crestfallen. Despite doing all the right things and giving Ravindra Jadeja the best company he could hope for, wretched luck meant the heroic 10th wicket stand was broken and India lost the Lord's Test to England by 22 runs on Day 5 (Monday, July 14, 2025).
Jadeja was left stranded on 61 and there was little he could fault Siraj (4) for, with the number 11 batter having faced 30 balls of pace and spin combined to keep Ben Stokes' men at bay for a long time. The quirk of fate meant India trailed England 2-1 in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, going into the fourth Test at Manchester starting July 23.
Down and out at 112 for eight, Jadeja took the game deep with the help of Jasprit Bumrah (5 off 54) and Siraj (4 off 30) before agonisingly ending up on the wrong side of the result in a game for the ages. 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 Ben Stokes (3/48) and Brydon Carse (2/30).
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.
(With PTI inputs)
