17 July,2025 03:23 PM IST | Mumbai | Balvinder Singh Sandhu
India’s Ravindra Jadeja (left) and Jasprit Bumrah during their 35-run partnership off 132 balls on Day Five of the third Test against England at Lord’s, London, on Monday. Pic/Getty Images
Firstly, full credit to the ground staff for preparing a pitch that had enough spice for the seamers to stay interested throughout. And just when it looked like the game was drifting away from India, Washington Sundar brought us right back into it on Day 4 with four crucial wickets using his off-spin.
That set up a perfect scenario - low target to chase, an unpredictable pitch, and a mountain of pressure that doesn't just test skills, but gets into your head. And that's where it got tricky.
Instead of sticking to the basics and playing with calm intent, the Indian batters seemed to let doubt and fear creep in. The pitch started playing on their minds more than the ball. In the fourth innings, chasing even a small target is never easy - it becomes a mental battle. And under pressure, even the smallest mistakes start to feel massive.
Rishabh Pant's run out before lunch wasn't the real turning point. What followed after is where things began to shift. He was looking good, well set, so once he got out, the atmosphere in the dressing room changed. It's up to the support staff to keep things relaxed and positive at such moments. If they can't, then the silence, the stiff looks, the lack of words - everything gets magnified. And that creates pressure which is felt by everyone in the room. This tension spreads fast, players start doubting themselves, and it becomes difficult to stay calm and think clearly out in the middle. For me, the noise inside the dressing room - the glances, the quiet blame - is louder and more damaging than what experts or commentators say outside.
KL Rahul was batting well - looked calm, in control, and for a while, it felt like he might just take India over the line. But somewhere along the way, he went into a shell. He was possibly trying too hard not to make a mistake, instead of trusting his natural game and instincts.
The English bowlers understood the situation perfectly. They knew that once the ball gets soft after about 25 overs, batting becomes easier. You could see the urgency in how they worked on shining the ball, trying to keep it harder for longer. For India, the key was to survive that initial spell, but in trying to play too safe too early, we may have missed the window to push back.
I believe that a lack of effort or intent can be questioned, but honest mistakes, made while trying to do the right thing, should be understood and accepted. This team is young and learning. Mistakes are part of the journey. Criticism should be constructive. And when a player gives it his all, but still falls short, he deserves empathy - not judgement. Only then will they grow. Only then do boys become men in Test cricket.
Coming to the final moments, Ravindra Jadeja is someone I've known since his U-19 days at the National Cricket Academy. Even back then, he showed maturity beyond his age. He's a smart cricketer, calm under pressure, but this time, maybe the fear of failing, or the pressure of not trusting the tail, got the better of him. If only he had trusted Jasprit Bumrah a bit more - especially when Bumrah was defending so well - and resisted taking that single off the fourth ball to retain strike. Had he backed himself to finish it in those last two balls, with the field up, it was a perfect moment to go for the boundary.
The English team wasn't exactly cruising either. Their main spinner was off the field injured. Jofra Archer wasn't bowling. Stokes was pushing through a long, tiring spell. One aggressive stroke could've changed the entire mood, thrown England off their plans. And who knows, it might've handed India a famous win.
India did not lose because of a lack of skill or fight. They played well, but lost out on strategy and decision-making in crunch moments. England, on the other hand, held their nerve, stuck to their plans and executed better when it mattered most.
It's a tough loss, but also a valuable one because these are the matches that teach you the most. Cricket has its own way of writing scripts. And this one, unfortunately, didn't go our way. These moments hurt, but they also shape character, and that's what Test cricket is all about. It's not just a game of skill, but a test of temperament, courage, and belief. Team India should remember Bob Marley's super hit song, "Get up, Stand up, don't give up the fight."
The author was part of India's 1983 ODI World Cup-winning team
