New Delhi: India crumbled under the relentless pressure of England to fall to a 22-run defeat in the third Test on the fifth and final at Lord’s on Monday.
Resuming at their overnight score of 58/4 and needing 135 more runs to win, India were bowled out for 170 in their second innings as England took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series with three matches remaining.
In the opening session, England pacers were all over the Indian batters on a tricky track for stroke-making.
England’s new ball spearhead Jofra Archer struck the first blow when he cleaned up Rishabh Pant (9 off 12 balls) with a ball that straightened to knock off the off-stump.
Overnight batter KL Rahul (39 off 58) was the next to go as he was caught in front by Ben Stokes. Washington Sundar (0 off 4) didn’t last long as he offered a catching chance to Archer, who dived to his right.
India resumed their second innings with 135 runs to win but slumped to 82/7 within the first hour of play as Rahul and Pant were dismissed within 18 balls.
WHAT A TEST MATCH – ENGLAND WIN A LORD’S CLASSIC! 🍿
Scorecard: https://t.co/dp3RtHo2QM pic.twitter.com/jVKOUr0qlI
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 14, 2025
Nitish Reddy (13 off 53) also failed to rise to the occasion as he edged a Chris Woakes delivery to keeper Jamie Smith.
India stared down the barrel as they went into lunch at 112 for 8, still in need to 81 runs to win and with only two wickets in hand.
Ravindra Jadeja (61 not out) and Jasprit Bumrah (5) then frustrated English bowlers for 22 overs with a 35-run stand, briefly lifting India’s hopes as the margin of victory reduced to 46 runs.
But just as it seemed that Bumrah would extend his defiance to the post tea session, he attempted an ill-advised pull off Stokes to top edge it into the hands of the mid-on fielder.
Mohammed Siraj (4) and Jadeja safely negotiated the extra 30 minutes before tea and resumed batting with 30 needed to win for India.
With each run scored by India, hearts started pounding for everyone in the stands, till a Shoaib Bashir ball spun back after a soft jab from Siraj to disrupt the stumps to end India’s valiant fightback.
The fourth Test will begin in Manchester’s Old Trafford on July 23.