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Jonathan Trott humorously remarked that the gripping conclusion to the third Test between India and England at Lord’s left him with no nails. England won by 22 runs, leading 2-1.
England’s Jofra Archer celebrates an Indian wicket with teammates. (AP)
Former England batter Jonathan Trott has humorously remarked that the gripping conclusion to the third Test between India and England at Lord’s left him with no nails.
On the final day, India needed 135 runs with six wickets in hand, having been reduced to 58/4 at the close of play on Sunday.
Defending a target of 193, Jofra Archer (3-55) and Ben Stokes (3-48) each took three wickets, with solid support from Brydon Carse (2-30) and Chris Woakes (1-21), securing the win for the home side. England triumphed by 22 runs, taking a 2-1 lead in the five-Test series.
“Once again, a match decided by the finest of margins – 22 runs today. We saw Siraj being consoled. That’s exactly what we want to see. We’ve seen hard-fought cricket over five days, and then handshakes all around. One team had to win, and this time it was England,” Trott commented on JioHotstar.
“It was so tense – nail-biting stuff. I’m not sure I’ve got any nails left! It’s a sad way for the game to end, but someone had to win. I think this is great for Tests, a bit of spice, a bit of edginess on the field,” Trott said.
“As long as the teams get along off the field and there’s no carry-over to the fourth Test, we’re good. It’s been played hard out there. I can’t wait to see who comes out on top,” Trott added.
Archer initiated the attack on the final day, setting the tone early by dismissing Rishabh Pant in just the third over after play resumed.
KL Rahul, who looked solid with a fluent 39 off 58 balls, was the next to fall, beaten by a sharp nip-backer from Ben Stokes.
Archer then produced a moment of brilliance, pulling off a stunning caught-and-bowled to remove Washington Sundar and claim his third wicket, reducing India to 82 for 7.
A flicker of resistance came from Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who began to form a promising partnership. However, just before lunch, Chris Woakes broke the stand, bringing England closer to victory.
After the break, Jasprit Bumrah provided some support to Jadeja, but the fightback ended when he mishit a pull shot off Stokes, finding substitute fielder Sam Cook.
Jadeja, the No. 1-ranked Test all-rounder, continued to show resilience, achieving his fourth successive fifty of the series. Nevertheless, it was not enough to halt England’s momentum.
The match concluded when Shoaib Bashir delivered a ball that glanced off Mohammed Siraj’s bat, trickling onto the stumps and bowling India out for 170, sealing a memorable win and series lead for England.
Praising Jadeja’s determined unbeaten half-century, Trott acknowledged the all-rounder’s exceptional performance in challenging conditions under pressure.
“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. The other batters will probably reflect and ask themselves – Why couldn’t I have done what Jadeja did to give us a chance?”
With IANS Inputs
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