Three big reasons why India lost the Lord’s Test against England?
England chased down a massive 371-run target in the first Test of the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. In the third Test, England batted first and and it was India’s turn to chase. Much to their delight, the target (193) set by England wasn't a big one and India would have felt confident chasing. But they faltered. India lost five wickets for 71 and, eventually, fell 22 runs short.
It wasn’t a big target, and India could have won the game. If they lose the series from here, the memories of the Lord’s Test, perhaps, would haunt them. Obviously, the conditions at Headingley and Lord’s were different. But that can’t be an excuse to chase a target of less than 200. Where did they go wrong ? How did they lose the Test despite dominating for the most part of it.
In this article, let’s try to dissect why India lost the Lord’s Test by pointing out three big reasons:
- Half of the side went back for 71
When you’re chasing a target in a Test match, the last thing you would want is wickets falling in a cluster. India need a decent start from Jaiswal and KL Rahul. But, the former wanted to take on Archer, who trapped him leg-before early in the innings. Archer banged one short wide of off-stump, but Jaiswal looked to pull it for a six.
The southpaw had premeditated that shot, but the line wasn’t right. It opened the doors for England early, as getting a wicket in the second over with just five runs on the board gave them belief they needed. England, however, couldn’t pick a wicket in the next 10 overs as Karun Nair and KL Rahul calmed the nerves a bit. They pushed the total to 41 before Nair left a ball that was coming in. Brydon Carse bowled one angling into him, but Karun Nair leaving that one was something hard to understand.
It was a massive wicket in the context of the game as Shubman Gill (6) and Akash Deep (1) went back soon after. At the end of the fourth day’s play, India lost four wickets for just 58. That’s where the game was lost. Though India still hoped for a win, with Pant and KL Rahul still there at the crease.
But Jofra left every Indian fan dejected after he bowled a beauty to send Rishabh Pant back early in the morning on day 5. While Pant and Shubman Gill couldn’t have done much with the kind of balls that were bowled to them, Karun Nair and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s wickets would have hurt a lot to people in that dressing room. In hindsight, the duo would think that they could have played the ball differently.
2. Rishabh Pant’s run-out in the first innings
After India bowled England out for 387 in the first innings, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul pushed India to 248 from 107/3 at one stage. The duo put on a 131-run partnership for the fifth wicket and looked in no trouble at all.
But just at the stroke of Lunch, Pant pushed for a single to help KL Rahul reach his hundred, who was, seemingly, eager to reach the milestone before the session ends. Scoring a century at Lord’s is a special feat, and sometimes, that desire to reach those milestones can tempt you into taking reckless decisions.
In a bid to take that single, Pant was run out for 74, and six runs later, KL Rahul (100) also departed. Had that run-out not taken place, India might have crossed the 450-mark in the first innings.
3. England bowlers fired on all cylinders in the final innings
With just 193 to defend, the England bowlers came out all guns firing. That verbal duel between Zak Crawley and Shubman Gill had ignited the fuel they needed to defend a short target. Jofra Archer bowled at full throttle, while Ben Stokes put his body in line, bowling 24 overs- the most by an English bowler in that innings.
Chris Woakes bowled five maidens in his 12 overs at an economy of 1.80, along with the big wicket of Shubman Gill. Some of the balls bowled by the bowlers were unplayable, which the Indian batters could do nothing about. The accuracy of their bowlers could be seen in the fact that most of the wickets were LBW, bowled, or caught behind.
