At Lord's, India's defiance crafts a tale greater than victory

India Today

15-07-2025

Some days, a Test match is about the pursuit of victory. On others, it's about the game's ability to draw out human tenacity, skill, and spirit. On July 14, at Lord's, cricket triumphed, turning players into warriors, elevating the ordinary to heroes. It was a day that reminded us why Test cricket remains the game's toughest form—a battle where the sport itself writes the greatest story and shapes the toughest characters.advertisementThe Drama UnfoldsOver five days at cricket's spiritual epicentre, India and England played a Test where destiny couldn't decide how to separate the winner from the vanquished. Like Shakespeare's Hamlet, it vacillated till the proverbial last hour, a moment heavy with the weight of fate.A ball delivered by Shoaib Bashir, a bowler with a broken hand, was played by Mohammed Siraj into the turf. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, it would have rolled harmlessly down the pitch. But July 14, as history testifies, is a day of the unexpected at Lord's, its pinnacle being England's miraculous win in the 2019 cricket World Cup final.
Just like that historic day, the unexpected happened on Monday when it wasn't expected. Defended by Siraj with soft hands, the ball spun back, slithered through the grass like a snake, and stung the stumps, nudging the bails off their grooves. As Siraj collapsed on the track in dejection, and England players flew around the ground in elation, destiny sighed with relief—a stroke of luck had ended one of the greatest matches in recent history.ENG vs IND, 3rd TEST HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARDThis was no ordinary dismissal. It was a poignant end to a match that refused to be defined by statistics alone. The scorecards would note England's 387 and 192, India's 387 and 170, but they wouldn't capture the raw emotion—the collective gasp of the Lord's crowd, the steely resolve and anguish in the eyes of India's batters, or the sheer defiance of Ben Stokes who had nothing left to give but gave it anyway. Test cricket, in that fleeting moment, revealed its beauty: a game where every ball is a microcosm of life's unpredictability, where triumph and heartbreak are separated by the width of a bail.Victory in DefianceIndia wins dozens of cricket matches every year. Most are forgotten. But some losses linger because they remind us of extraordinary acts of heroism and the triumph of human resilience. Decades ago, Sunil Gavaskar stood defiant on a crumbling Bangalore pitch against Pakistan. Later, Sachin Tendulkar battled a crumbling back and Pakistan's bowlers in Chennai. In 2019, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja dragged India to the brink of a World Cup final, only for a sharp throw to end the dream. Like unrequited love, we still remember these stories.advertisementAt Lord's in 2025, India wrote a similar timeless tragedy through the sheer grit of Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj, who took their side to the cusp of an unimaginable victory until a cruel dismissal ended the surreal symphony.At the stroke of lunch on Day 5, England had India reeling. Chasing 193, India crumbled to 112/8, with Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes tearing through the top order. Rishabh Pant fell for 9, Washington Sundar for a duck, and KL Rahul's resistance ended at 33. When Nitish Kumar Reddy departed after raising hopes, the match seemed over.But a heist was being planned in the dressing room. Just before Reddy's fall, the camera panned to a rare sight: Bumrah shadow-batting on the Lord's balcony, a poet sharpening his pen for an enemy with swords. With a series of ducks on his scorecard, and the ball resembling a grenade in the hands of Archer and Stokes, Bumrah seemed set for a quick entry and exit. Yet, post-lunch, Bumrah combined with Jadeja, who stayed unbeaten on 61 off 181 balls, to orchestrate a fightback that will be etched in Lord's lore. Playing with the patience of a man granted immortality on the cricket pitch, Bumrah batted for nearly two hours, blocking with a straight bat, swatting at bouncers. After his exit, Siraj, battered by short balls but unyielding, continued the fight, bringing India within 22 runs of a win. Each run was a heist, each block a defiance of despair, each passing minute a celebration of hope till Bashir's dramatic delivery.advertisementThe Two GladiatorsBut the real gladiators of the match were two great allrounders—England's captain Ben Stokes and India's Jadeja. Stokes, England's gritty leader, who resembles a Viking warrior ready to put everything on the line, exemplified courage and physical endurance. His five wickets, 77 runs, and Rishabh Pant's runout, a pivotal moment, weren't ordinary contributions. Aware of the demands of the match, the frailty of Bashir's broken hand, the delicate physique of Jofra Archer–who was making a comeback after four-plus years–Stokes bowled 24 overs in the fourth innings despite a rebellious body and reminders from the dressing room to slow it down. His resolve never wavered. "I've taken myself to some pretty dark places, but if bowling your country to a Test match win doesn't get you excited, I don't know what does,' he said later.advertisementOn the other side stood Ravindra Jadeja. Unbeaten on 61 off 181 balls, Jadeja was the rock around which India's improbable dream was built. As wickets tumbled and hope dwindled, he stood firm, his bat a shield against England's Viking warrior. Each ball he faced was a battle, each run a rebellion against the odds. Jadeja's innings was not about flair but fortitude—his patient blocks and measured drives were a crown on the head of a man who refused to be cowed.India fell short, handing England a 2-1 series lead. Yet, the match's soul lay in its intangibles—Stokes' leadership, Jadeja's defiance, Bumrah's patience, Siraj's courage, and the collective will of an Indian side that refused to surrender. India lost, but it felt like a victory in spirit, a reminder of Test cricket's unmatched ability to forge heroes from heartbreak.Sandipan Sharma, our guest author, likes to write on cricket, cinema, music and politics. He believes they are interconnected.- EndsTune In