NEW DELHI: Former India head coach Ravi Shastri pointed to two key moments—Rishabh Pant’s dismissal in the first innings and Karun Nair’s wicket in the second—as the major turning points in India’s 22-run defeat to England in the third Test at Lord’s. The result gave England a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, after successfully defending a modest target of 193 by bowling India out for 170.England captain Ben Stokes ran out Pant for 74 with a brilliant piece of fielding just before lunch on Day 3, which Shastri described as a pivotal moment in the contest.
“The turning point for me in this Test match was, first of all, Rishabh Pant’s dismissal. Ben Stokes… simply outstanding presence of mind to hit at the right end and pull it off on the stroke of lunch. Because India would have got a lead and they were in the driver’s seat,” Shastri said on The ICC Review.The second crucial moment, according to Shastri, came early in India’s second innings when Karun Nair was dismissed leg-before by Brydon Carse after shouldering arms to a straight delivery, with India at 41 for one.That lapse triggered a batting collapse as India slipped from 42 for two to 82 for seven, handing England control of the game.“Having said that, again at 40/1, I thought that was a huge lapse in concentration from Karun Nair to leave a straight ball, a nothing ball, to leave it and open the door for England. I thought that the timing of that dismissal turned things around,” Shastri commented.He also praised India’s lower order for their resilience on the final day, contrasting it with the top order’s struggles.“Because you saw when Siraj batted, when Bumrah batted, when Jadeja was batting, once the ball was 40 overs old, they hardly put a foot wrong. They were solid in defence and to bring that target down at lunch, 82 to get, you thought in the next 10 minutes it would be done and dusted. But to bring that 82 or 83 to 22 was a massive achievement. So, it just goes to show that the top order had just been a little tougher and mentally stronger on Day 4, towards the end, this game would have been India’s,” he explained.Drawing comparisons with India’s memorable win at Lord’s in 2021, Shastri noted the similarities in match progression.“It reminded me so much of the Test match in 2021. Only on that occasion, it was India who batted first. Scores were very similar, 300, 300 and then a collapse in the second innings. At that time, India won,” Shastri observed.Despite the loss, he remains hopeful of a strong Indian response when the series resumes in Manchester on July 23.“Fifteen days in the series, it’s been riveting stuff. And at times, I think India could have been 3-0 up. A little bit of luck, India could have been 3-0 up,” Shastri remarked.He credited England’s ability to capitalise on crucial moments, while also highlighting Stokes’ role with the ball.“You have to compliment England. When the going got tough, those moments they seized. And when they saw an opening in the door, they just banged their door down. There was hardly anything on that surface, and if you had lost two wickets less the previous day I think India would have chased that down,” he said.“Stokes bowling those spells, I knew something was coming at Edgbaston because he had something back there. He wanted fuel in the tank for Lord’s and he showed it on the last day. Eight overs, nine-over spells. At one stage, 10 overs towards the end to clinch it for England,” Shastri added, referring to Stokes’ 24-over effort that included three critical wickets, among them KL Rahul’s.
