"Had Ravindra Jadeja Shown Bit Of Courage...": Ex-Pakistan Star On India's Loss In Lord's Test

Ravindra Jadeja fought a lone battle during India's chase of 193 runs against England in the third Test at Lord's, London. The visitors lost the game by 22 runs after being bundled out for 170. Jadeja stayed not out at the score of 61 off 181 balls but failed to win the game for India as he kept running out of partners from the other end. Mohammed Siraj was the last wicket to fall as India succumbed in the tricky chase.

While Jadeja's fighting knock has been hailed by many cricket experts, former Pakistan players Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal pointed out what went wrong in the innings. 

"In batting, the shot selection was not right. When Jadeja was getting to play the final two balls of the over, he should have taken his chances. You should have that confidence to hit it down the ground despite fielders on the boundary line. So there was a bit of less courage. He didn't take his chances when Joe Root and Shoaib Bashir gave flight to the ball. Had he shown a bit of courage and game awareness, he could have won the game for India," said Kamran on YouTube channel 'The Game Plan'.

Basit too had a similar review of the Jadeja knock. "Were the fielders close to the (imaginary) circle? Then there isn't much he could have done. However, Javed Miandad once said that when you are batting with the tail and the field comes in, go for boundaries in the last two balls of the over."

England won the toss and opted to bat first in the game. They posted 387, a score that India too registered in their first essay. In their second innings, England got bundled out for a low score, setting a 193-run target for the visitors.

What seemed a small and gettable target was turned into a tough one as England bowlers fired in unison. The deteriorating pitch at Lord's too helped their cause as the Three Lions managed to script a narrow 22-run win.

Topics mentioned in this article

Cricket India Cricket Team England Cricket Team England vs India, 2025 England vs India, 3rd Test Ravindra Jadeja Basit Ali Kamran Akmal