The third Test between India and England will be played in Manchester, starting from July 23.
India’s gut-wrenching loss to England in the third Test at Lord’s continues to hurt, with former head coach Ravi Shastri dissecting the decisive moments that swung the result. Despite having the match in their grasp multiple times, India lost by 22 runs in a classic five-day encounter. Now trailing 2-1 in the series, the visitors will reflect hard on the lapses that let the game slip.
Shastri highlights Pant’s run-out and Nair’s error
Speaking to The ICC Review, Shastri pinpointed two moments that cost India dearly—Rishabh Pant’s run-out in the first innings and Karun Nair’s misjudged leave in the second.
“The turning point for me in this Test match was, first of all, Rishabh Pant’s dismissal,” Shastri said. “Ben Stokes, simply outstanding presence of mind to hit at the right end and pull it off on the stroke of lunch. Because India would have got a lead and they were in the driver’s seat.”
India resumed the day trailing by 242 runs, but a solid 141-run partnership between Rahul and Pant put them back in the contest. With Rahul nearing his century and just one over left before lunch, the pair discussed targeting Shoaib Bashir to reach the milestone. However, the eagerness to get KL back on strike so that he can notch up the hundred led to the downfall. Pant was batting fluently on 74 when a moment of hesitation in running saw him short of the crease, thanks to a sharp direct hit from Stokes.
But that wasn’t the only turning point. India were 40/1 in their chase of 193 when Karun Nair, set on 18, inexplicably chose to leave a straight delivery and was bowled. After his dismissal in the dying moments of Day 4, India lost Shubman Gill and Akash Deep as well.
“Again at 40/1, I thought that was a huge lapse in concentration from Karun Nair to leave a straight ball, a nothing ball, to leave it and open the door for England,” Shastri said. “I thought that the timing of that dismissal turned things around.” Nair, who has failed to convert any of his starts this series, might now find himself out of the XI with pressure mounting.
Lord’s 2021 or Lord’s 2025?
The match was eerily reminiscent of India’s memorable Lord’s win in 2021. This time, though, the roles reversed. England’s bowlers, led by captain Stokes, Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes, and Brydon Carse, found breakthroughs at key junctures, while Ravindra Jadeja’s valiant resistance wasn’t enough to take India over the line.
Shastri, who knows a thing or two about epic Test wins, praised England for seizing the moments. “You have to compliment England. When the going got tough, those moments they seized. And when they saw an opening in the door, they just banged their door down,” he said.
With two Tests to go and Manchester next, India must turn lessons into action. As Shastri said, “Fifteen days in the series, it’s been riveting stuff. And at times, I think India could have been 3-0 up. A little bit of luck, India could have been 3-0 up.”
Editor’s Pick
Top Stories
