India lost the third Test to England at Lord’s in the most heartbreaking fashion on Monday, falling just 22 runs short of the 193-run target on a tricky pitch. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja almost pulled off a miracle for the visitors with an unbeaten 61 but was eventually left without partners in the middle.
Jadeja had soldiered on for 22 overs to score 35 runs in the company of Jasprit Bumrah, before the pacer fell trying to tonk a ball to the boundary. The India pacer had made just five runs, but more importantly, lasted for 54 balls giving Jadeja company. Mohammed Siraj then played his part as well, staying in the middle for 30 balls for his four runs. When Siraj played on to off-spinner Shoaib Basheer, Jadeja was left stranded on 61 from 181 balls. Between them, Bumrah and Siraj had stayed in the middle for nearly three hours.
As India’s fate was sealed and England took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, the question staring the visitors in the face was, could they have done better at the top of the fourth innings and preserved their wickets longer?
“The other Indian batters will probably reflect and ask themselves—why couldn’t I have done what Jadeja did to give us a chance?” Jonathan Trott said on JioHotstar while praising Jadeja for his tenacity. “Hindsight is a beautiful thing. I think Jadeja played incredibly well. I don’t see the point in overanalysing him. He manoeuvred himself and the team excellently. He’s battled, left well, and had a bit of luck. The ball was spinning away, and yes, there was temptation to attack Bashir. But had he slogged and gotten out, we’d be saying he threw it away. I thought he played exceptionally.”
Former India captain Anil Kumble also heaped praise on Jadeja’s performance and approach.
“He would have identified the bowlers he could target. Like Chris Woakes, who’s slightly slower in the air, and Joe Root or Bashir. Even though they’re off-spinners, it wasn’t like the ball was turning square. Jadeja has played on tougher wickets against tougher bowling attacks. Ideally, if someone had to take the risk and get out, it should have been Jadeja rather than Siraj. He did well to farm the strike—especially with Bumrah and Siraj at the other end. But giving Bashir a full over was risky. That’s when he could have gone after him. He was outstanding throughout. He came in early—sixth over of the day—and remained unbeaten. To double the score after being 82 for 7 with just Bumrah and Siraj is incredible. The other batters will be disappointed—they had chances. Also, those extras—32 in the first innings and almost 65 across both—will be a big point of discussion.”
