Hero or villain? Ravindra Jadeja's Lord's stand with Bumrah and Siraj divides opinion
The partnerships for the final two wickets lasted 212 balls, keeping England on the field until the third session. However, India still fell short of the target by 22 runs. Jadeja, along with Bumrah and Siraj, added 58 runs and remained unbeaten on 61 after facing 181 balls — but their efforts could not undo the damage caused by the earlier collapse.Fights through to fifty, but the sword stays in its sheath.#RavindraJadeja knows the job's not over#ENGvIND 3rd TEST, DAY 5 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar https://t.co/DTsJzJLwUc pic.twitter.com/Hig4Y61i8N— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 14, 2025Jadeja batted with caution alongside the tail, refusing to offer England a whiff of opportunity. The Chennai Super Kings all-rounder struck a six in the 48th over off Chris Woakes to signal his intent, but India then went 107 deliveries without another boundary. Jadeja refrained from taking risks even against Chris Woakes, Shoaib Bashir and Joe Root, who found far less assistance from the surface than Stokes, Archer or Carse.MORE CALCULATED RISKS?Former India captain Anil Kumble suggested Jadeja might have taken a few more calculated risks, particularly against Woakes and the spinners, which could have pushed India closer to the target.'The two bowlers he could have potentially taken on were Chris Woakes, who is slightly slower in the air, and then Bashir and Joe Root. I know they're off-spinners taking the ball away, but it wasn't turning square. So there wasn't a lot to worry about in terms of spin or the outside edge. Jadeja has played on tougher pitches and against better bowling. I thought he could have taken a chance.'You want to take those risks. Yes, there were a few runs he rightly declined because Bumrah and Siraj were at the other end, but he could have chanced it a bit more,' Kumble said.GAVASKAR AND GILL DEFEND JADEJA APPROACHadvertisementWhile social media buzzed with mixed reactions to Jadeja's innings, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar defended the approach, saying the all-rounder could hardly have done more under the circumstances.'I think it was dictated by the fact that he was batting with the lower-order batters. He was trying to farm the strike as much as possible. Also, at that stage, you're wary of playing aerial shots on that kind of pitch. And the Indian team tends to take the game deep — that's what he was aiming for,' Gavaskar told India Today after the Lord's Test.Meanwhile, captain Shubman Gill backed the strategy employed by Jadeja and the tail, noting that India were looking to build small partnerships and slowly transfer pressure back onto England.Gill said India had planned to wait for the second new ball — just 5.1 overs away — suggesting that the old Dukes ball was difficult to hit, particularly with England spreading the field against Jadeja.'Every five or six runs they scored, you could feel the pressure building on England. A small partnership of 30–40 runs could have made a huge difference. We were quite optimistic when Siraj was batting — if we could just get to the second new ball with 12–15 runs left, anything could happen. A couple of boundaries and suddenly, you're back on top,' Gill said.advertisementEventually, Bumrah's resistance was ended by a Stokes bouncer in the 62nd over, and Siraj's brave vigil ended in heartbreaking fashion. Growing in confidence while seeing off significant spells, Siraj almost negotiated Bashir's over, but was bowled when the ball struck the middle of his bat and ricocheted back onto the stumps.Jadeja and Siraj were visibly gutted at the end, as India found themselves agonisingly close yet ultimately short. England players, including Zak Crawley and Joe Root, walked over to console a tearful Siraj. Captain Stokes put an arm around Jadeja, acknowledging the Indian star's defiant resistance.With England taking a 2–1 lead in the series, India will be hoping to bounce back when the two teams meet in the fourth Test, starting 23 July in Manchester.- Ends
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Business Standard
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Why is Anil Kumble critical of Ravindra Jadeja despite his brilliant knock?
Ravindra Jadeja's unbeaten 61 at Lord's in the third Test against England nearly scripted one of the most memorable comebacks in recent Test history. Coming in during the sixth over of the day, Jadeja displayed exceptional composure, battling through pressure and wickets falling around him. From 82 for 7, India clawed their way to 170, falling short by just 23 runs in a gripping contest. Yet, former India captain Anil Kumble believes that the left-hander missed a crucial tactical opportunity, which might have cost India the match. While lauding Jadeja's valiant effort, Kumble felt the decision to expose tailender Mohammed Siraj to Shoaib Bashir for a full over was avoidable. He said it reminded him of a painful personal memory from his playing days. Memories of Chennai 1999 resurface Watching Siraj's dismissal triggered flashbacks for Kumble, who recalled India's 12-run loss to Pakistan in Chennai back in 1999. In that match, India fell agonisingly short despite Sachin Tendulkar's heroic 136. Just like Siraj, Javagal Srinath had been bowled by an off-spinner — Saqlain Mushtaq then, Bashir now — while trying to support a set batter at the other end. Kumble noted that Jadeja had meticulously farmed the strike throughout the innings, but questioned the logic behind letting Siraj face three deliveries from Bashir when only 23 were needed. A missed chance to take on the spinners According to Kumble, Jadeja should have assessed the situation and taken more calculated risks against England's slower bowlers, particularly Chris Woakes, Joe Root and Bashir. He felt that even though they were off-spinners, the pitch wasn't offering sharp turn, and Jadeja had the skill to target them. 'If someone had to take a risk and get out, it should have been Jadeja, not Siraj,' Kumble opined, adding that allowing a full over to Bashir at such a stage was a misstep. Praise tempered with criticism Despite his critique, Kumble hailed Jadeja's knock as remarkable, especially considering the batting collapse earlier. He called the innings 'incredible', emphasising how Jadeja almost pulled off a miracle single-handedly. However, he also pointed to India's costly extras — 32 in the first innings and nearly 65 in total — as another area that hurt them. Kumble also believed that Siraj getting hit on the shoulder by Jofra Archer added to the pressure and possibly unsettled him before that fateful over. Test cricket at its finest Calling the Lord's Test a 'great advertisement for Test cricket', Kumble said all three matches in the series had gone down to the wire. Though England now lead 2-1, Kumble felt that on a session-by-session basis, the battle has been closely contested. In the end, while Jadeja's resilience won hearts, Kumble's critique serves as a reminder of how fine margins often separate heartbreak from history in Test cricket.
India Today
an hour ago
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Jofra Archer dons commentator's hat after proving critics wrong at Lord's
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'Ravindra Jadeja was hoping against hope, the real star was Jasprit Bumrah': Ex-India cricketer's massive statement after India's Lord's defeat
Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes that KL Rahul's form in the Test series against England stands out as the biggest positive for the visitors so far. Rahul has scored 375 runs in six innings during the series, including two centuries and a half-century, underlining his consistency at the top of the order. "The biggest satisfaction I've had - as an analyst and a former cricketer - has come from watching KL Rahul. He has always had the game. Yes, there were grey areas in his technique, but he worked on those and resolved them. What was missing was consistency. On one of our shows, we even jokingly gave him the title of 'Mr. Consistent KL Rahul' - but it's taken him a long time to truly earn that tag. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "He has now played over 50 Test matches for India, and what I'm seeing now is close to perfection - there are no visible weaknesses. For the first time in an overseas series, he has scored more than 200 runs. That, for me, is a massive takeaway for India," Manjrekar said on JioHotstar. Reflecting on India's narrow 22-run loss at Lord's, Manjrekar also spoke about the crucial ninth-wicket partnership between Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah that gave India hope on the final day. Poll Do you think India's lower-order batting has improved in recent Tests? Yes, definitely No, it remains the same 'Ravindra Jadeja was batting well and defending resolutely, but it never looked like he was taking the kind of risks needed to help India win. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo He was playing a waiting game and hoping against hope. The real star in that partnership, though, was Jasprit Bumrah. He stayed out there for one hour and 40 minutes against high-quality fast bowling, facing bouncers, and it was remarkable to see how his net sessions with the bat finally paid off. The mental toughness we see in his bowling came through in his batting too, and that was truly special," he said. India vs England: India fall short at Lord's, England lead series 2-1 Manjrekar also praised Jadeja's improved temperament and technique with the bat, pointing to his evolution as a dependable lower-order batter. "It's heartening to see how much Jadeja trusts his defence these days. He plays long innings now, patient and with time on his side. The 70 runs he scored in the first innings were not a quick-fire 70 - he batted for four hours. And on this pitch, scoring 50 felt like batting for 50 hours. But if you look at that moment when Jadeja brought up his half-century, the visuals from the Lord's balcony did not look too positive. The energy from the dressing room said it all, it felt like the team knew that winning would be very difficult. Jadeja was trying, no doubt, but given the pitch, the conditions, and India's scoring rate, the chase looked beyond reach," Manjrekar added on Jadeja's gritty knock. Shubman Gill blames 'judgement error' as Rishabh Pant run-out haunts India in Lord's heartbreak He also lauded Bumrah's adaptability and game awareness across both innings, saying the fast bowler continues to add to his legacy in different ways. "In the first innings, Bumrah showed just how great a bowler he is. This was the kind of pitch where he could not really display his full range, so he bowled patiently and waited for opportunities. And when the moment came - in the latter half of the innings - he was ready. He picked up five wickets in the first innings on a surface that did not offer much assistance. Then, when Washington Sundar took four key wickets and India needed to wrap up England quickly, Bumrah stepped in again and delivered. That yorker to dismiss Brydon Carse is still fresh in the mind. Showing his greatness in different ways - that has become Bumrah's legacy," the former batter said. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
