By Kavita Mistry 
Cricket NDTV sports News: Shubman Gill and his fellow batsmen had come out on Day 5 of the third Test of England vs India 2025 at Lord’s under the pressure of avoiding an innings defeat and with the team in trouble after the top-order had already fallen like ninepins. At the start of the day, India needed 135 to win with six wickets in hand. But, that target too seemed a humongous one when the first session got over. Ravindra Jadeja did his best to stem the flow on his own. Despite him and the lower order throwing their might into it, India were so close yet so far to script a miraculous win after being bowled out for 170 in 74.5 overs.
The lack of a substantial stand between any pair of batters has cost India, according to former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar.
“A partnership of 60-70 would have made a difference. India never got that. You could also say that Jadeja could have taken the odd chance and not necessarily the aerial route when Joe Root and Shoaib Bashir was bowling. “Well done to Jadeja for what he has done,” said Sunil Gavaskar on the Sony Sports commentary.
England’s Stokes and Archer soon had the pendulum swinging again with three early wickets, that of Pant and Rahul, with the session being sealed by Woakes at the end just before lunch when he trapped Nitish Kumar Reddy in front of his body.
Pant had earlier flirted with the crowd when he whipped the ball through mid-on for four, but Archer took an immediate measure back when he straightened one past the outside edge to rock the off stump and knock him back for nine.
Stokes followed up with unrelenting intensity when he served up a peach that jagged back in to find Rahul on the pad. A faint edge-off? The first appeal was waved off, but Stokes was in no doubt as he reviewed — and the replays clearly showed the ball was on its way to the top of the stumps and England fans were all over the TV set in celebration.