"there is admiration from both sides."
England held their nerve on a tense final day at Lord’s to pull off a 22-run win against India, taking a 2-1 lead in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Exploiting the fifth-day pitch, the hosts struck early and decisively, defending a modest target of 135 with grit and aggression.
India’s fightback was led by Ravindra Jadeja, whose unbeaten 61 off 181 balls kept hopes alive until the very end.
But the all-rounder ran out of partners, left stranded as the final three wickets tumbled in a dramatic morning session and tense afternoon finish.
England’s breakthrough came early. Jofra Archer, returning with menace, knocked back Rishabh Pant’s stumps with a delivery that skidded low off the surface.
Pant, struggling with a finger injury, faced just 12 balls.
Archer struck again shortly after, this time athletically plucking a one-handed catch off his own bowling to dismiss Washington Sundar.
Ben Stokes then delivered a relentless nine-over spell, claiming the crucial wicket of KL Rahul with a sharp nip-backer that trapped the opener.
Nitish Kumar Reddy dug in with Jadeja, but Chris Woakes found his edge just before lunch. The dismissal left India reeling, needing 81 runs with just two wickets remaining.
Jadeja, however, refused to fold. He smartly farmed the strike and found support from Jasprit Bumrah. Their 35-run partnership kept India afloat into the final session.
Bumrah’s 54-ball vigil was crucial, but his dismissal just 30 runs shy of victory marked a turning point.
Mohammed Siraj battled on but was bowled in unfortunate fashion, deflecting a Shoaib Bashir delivery back onto his stumps. It sealed England’s win and left Jadeja marooned at the non-striker’s end.
ENGLAND HAVE WON THE THIRD TEST BY JUST 22 RUNS! ?
The ball rolls onto Mohammed Siraj’s stumps off the bowling of Shoaib Bashir! pic.twitter.com/ZazyVif3zW
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 14, 2025
India captain Shubman Gill acknowledged the narrow defeat in a post-match interview:
“Tough luck, but I think the way we went out in the position in the morning to make a comeback like this was tremendous from Ravindra Jadeja and the low order.
“An anti-climax for us, the way Mohammed Siraj went.
“We needed a couple of partnerships in our top order and that didn’t happen for us.
“On a tricky kind of wicket, it is not easy for the lower ending of the order and the tail to get runs in the last three or four wickets.”
Gill praised both teams for their commitment: “When you play these kind of Test matches with both teams giving everything they have, there is always admiration at the end because both teams try everything they can to win the Test match.
“The match went so close, but there is admiration from both sides.
“We were pumped up in the dressing room, if we were able to get this win it would have been great for our confidence.”
On the on-field exchanges with England players, he added:
“It makes for an even more exciting Test series. When you’re in the heat of the moment, there’s so many emotions involved.”
“Both teams are competitive and you’re playing to win.
“There is going to be moments where there is going to be a bit of heat.”
With England leading the series, both teams will head to Manchester where the fourth Test gets underway on July 23, 2025.
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