Rahul reached his milestone soon after lunch with a single off Jofra Archer. It was his second century at Lord’s and 10th overall in Test cricket. The moment was special, with Rahul becoming only the second Indian batter after Dilip Vengsarkar to notch multiple Test hundreds at the venue. However, the joy was short-lived as he was dismissed in the next over, edging a flighted delivery from Shoaib Bashir to Harry Brook.
The highlight of India’s innings was a 141-run partnership between Rahul and Pant. Pant, battling a painful finger injury, played a typically aggressive knock, reaching 74 before getting run out at the stroke of lunch while attempting a tight single. Ben Stokes effected a sharp direct hit from cover. Jadeja chipped in with his third successive fifty, but India’s lower order failed to maintain momentum.
Despite taking the second new ball, England managed only Rahul’s wicket in the afternoon session. Bashir, who removed Rahul, had to walk off later due to a finger injury sustained while fielding.
There were moments of tension too. Zak Crawley and Shubman Gill were involved in a fiery exchange in the final over of the day. Crawley delayed the restart of play by pulling away from the crease twice and then calling for the physio after a ball clipped his glove. Gill was visibly frustrated, urging Crawley to face up and play. The stump microphone caught Gill using strong language, and England’s tactics raised questions about time-wasting.
India’s innings ended when Washington Sundar attempted a wild swing off Archer and was caught at fine leg. Akash Deep and the tail had absorbed deliveries but could not accelerate the scoring.
Earlier in the day, Shafali Verma’s aggressive fifty had powered India past 190, while a three-wicket burst from Charlie Dean stalled their progress.
As both teams prepare for Day 4, the match remains finely balanced. The pitch has started to misbehave, offering variable bounce and some turn, setting the stage for a gripping final phase of this Lord’s Test.
