In a gripping final day at Lord’s, Ravindra Jadeja has emerged as India’s last beacon of hope, crafting a fighting half-century under immense pressure as India chase an unlikely 193-run target against England in the third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
India, once reeling at 82/7, found resilience in Jadeja’s calm presence and his defiant partnerships with the lower order. Coming in after a mini-collapse on the fifth morning — which saw the quick dismissals of KL Rahul and Washington Sundar — Jadeja held his nerve. Alongside young Nitish Kumar Reddy, he steered India past the 100-run mark.
But after Reddy’s dismissal, the task became even steeper.
The southpaw then stitched a gritty partnership of 35 runs with Jasprit Bumrah, and together, the duo frustrated England for 132 balls. Bumrah, who scored just five, played his role to perfection—soaking up deliveries and giving Jadeja the strike when needed.
Their stand dragged India from 112/8 to 145, breathing life into a seemingly lost cause.
Just when it looked like India might dare to believe, Ben Stokes, relentless in his marathon spell, struck again. A mistimed pull shot from Bumrah ballooned into the hands of Chris Woakes at mid-on, breaking the 9th wicket stand and leaving Jadeja with only Mohammed Siraj for company.
Despite losing partners at regular intervals, Jadeja stood tall. He brought up his maiden Test fifty in the fourth innings, a milestone achieved in his 69th Test appearance. His previous best in the final innings of a match was 42, against New Zealand in Pune in 2024.
Now, with India still short of the target, the tenth-wicket pair of Jadeja and Siraj are battling the odds at the ‘Home of Cricket’. Should they pull off the impossible, it could place their stand among the highest 10th-wicket partnerships for India in England — a list topped by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami’s 111 at Nottingham in 2014.
Current Top 10th-Wicket Stands for India in England:
111 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar & Mohammed Shami (Nottingham, 2014)
73 – Anil Kumble & S. Sreesanth (Oval, 2007)
63 – Ajit Agarkar & Ashish Nehra (Lord’s, 2002)
58 – MS Dhoni & Ishant Sharma (Oval, 2014)
57 – Virat Kohli & Umesh Yadav (Birmingham, 2018)
If Jadeja and Siraj can defy England for 30 more runs, they may etch their names onto this list—and perhaps even walk away with one of India’s most memorable wins at Lord’s.
