While the Shubman Gill-led Indian team lost the third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy by 22 runs at Lord’s, the Test would also be remembered for the confrontation between the two sides on the third and fourth day. With the Indian team chasing a target of 193 runs, the Test saw a valiant Ravindra Jadeja almost taking India home before England spinner Shoaib Bashir removed Mohammad Siraj to hand England a 22-run win. With England players, including Ben Stokes, shaking hands with a consoling Jadeja, the moment also became one of the moments to remember in the series. Former England captain Nasser Hussain compared the moment with the 2005 Ashes Edgbaston Test memories of England pacer Andrew Flintoff consoling a dejected Brett Lee after the narrow two-run loss.
“The two all-rounders in Stokes (Ben) and Jadeja (Ravindra) – two champion cricketers – neither of them deserved to be on the losing side in that Test match (at Lord’s). In the end it was Stokes and his team running off in celebration, and there were images and memories of 2005 Edgbaston, with Brett Lee down and Andrew Flintoff. And it was great to see. With all of the spice and aggression we saw in that Test match, it was lovely to see the England and Indian players embrace at the end. That is how Test cricket should be played. You go hard and go really at each other, but you also respect what the other side has put in,” Hussain told Sky Sports just before the toss on Wednesday ahead of the fourth Test at Manchester.
With England leading the series 2-1, Gill would want to win the Manchester Test to level the series. While the first Test at Leeds and second Test at Edgbaston saw a break of more than a week, the third Test at Lord’s and fourth Test at Manchester too saw a gap of more than a week. With all the talk about India and England players confronting each other at multiple occasions including Gill against England opener Zack Crawley over delay in the last over on the third day and Mohammad Siraj giving England opener Ben Duckett a send-off on the fourth day, Hussain believes the teams will go hard at each other again. “With the drama of Lord’s, I think everyone needed the eight-day break… but then again, we didn’t need it, because it has been such an enthralling Test series. They go again. It really did spice up at Lord’s – and I think that spice is still there, with a couple of comments in the press conferences, from both sides, including the Indian captain.” Hussain added.
While England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bowl first in overcast conditions on Thursday, former England captain Alastair Cook believes ‘It’s not a bowl first situation’. “I am not quite convinced it is a bowl first situation. I looked at that surface. It’s a very dry wicket and I’m not looking at there being much movement. If there’s any doubt, Ben Stokes reverts to bowling. I would have batted first because if you are bowling on a flat one the bowlers are not the happiest souls,” Cook told BBC Sport.
