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Day 4: India collapse as third test against England heads for thrilling finish

rugby13 July 2025 18:04| © AFP
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India suffered a dramatic top-order slump to set up a thrilling finale to the third test against England at Lord's on Sunday.

The tourists had the upper hand after dismissing England for just 192 in their second innings, with offspinner Washington Sundar taking 4-22, including the wickets of Joe Root, Jamie Smith and England captain Ben Stokes on the fourth day.

That left India needing 193 to go 2-1 up in this five-match series after both teams made 387 in their first innings.

India, however, collapsed to 58-4 at stumps, with the tourists requiring a further 135 runs to win on Monday's final day.

Yashasvi Jaiswal was out for a duck, skying a hook off fast bowler Jofra Archer to wicketkeeper Smith.

Karun Nair was lbw to Brydon Carse with India captain Shubman Gill, who has already scored a double hundred and two centuries this series, falling in similar fashion.

And with what became the last ball of the the day, Stokes bowled nightwatchman Akash Deep to raucous cheers from the home crowd at a sun-drenched Lord's.

But India opener KL Rahul, fresh from his first-innings score of exactly 100, was still there on 33 not out following several typically elegant boundaries.

"India will win, probably just after lunch," a bullish Sundar told Sky Sports after stumps.

But England batting coach Marcus Trescothick, speaking to the BBC, said: "When the ball gets a little bit softer there are more runs to be had out there, but if you get it enough in the right place it's very tricky.

"We would have loved 250 and beyond but we would have taken 190 and our chance to bowl on that pitch and it'll come down to who holds the pressure best tomorrow."

Earlier, Root and Stokes joined forces with England in trouble at 87-4.

But a partnership worth 67 ended when Root, who made a hundred in the first innings, was bowled behind his legs trying to sweep Sundar. Root's 40 was the top score of England's second innings.

Smith's three previous scores this series had been 184 not out, 88 and 51, but he managed just eight before he was bowled by a Sundar delivery that kept a touch low.

Sundar, on an increasingly helpful pitch, had now taken 2-3 in 11 balls, with England 164-6.

Allrounder Stokes, without a test hundred in over two years, showed plenty of discipline while batting throughout all of Sunday's second session.

But, in common with several England teammates, he gave his wicket away when on 33 the left-handed batsman was bowled for 33 swinging himself off his feet trying to slog Sundar.

Stokes banged his bat on the turf in anger, with England now 181-7.

Jasprit Bumrah, the world's top-ranked test bowler, removed Carse and Chris Woakes with Sundar ending the innings when he knocked over last man Shoaib Bashir's stumps.

"I'm always trying to hit the stumps," said Sundar. "The fact Bumrah was bowling from the other end definitely helped, the fact we have him in our team is amazing."

STUTTERING ENGLAND

England resumed on 2-0 with Zak Crawley, who had angered India late Saturday with his time-wasting tactics, alongside opening partner Ben Duckett.

Duckett scooped a four off Mohammed Siraj but the fast bowler soon had his revenge when the left-hander, cramped for room, miscued a pull to Bumrah at mid-on to leave England 22-1.

Siraj then risked disciplinary action after yelling in Duckett's face, with both players facing possible punishment after making shoulder contact.

Bumrah, who took 5-74 in England's first innings after being rested from India's win in the second test at Edgbaston, bowled well but without much luck and it was Siraj who had Ollie Pope lbw on review for just four.

And 42-2 was soon transformed into 50-3.

Crawley (22) fell in familiar fashion when edging a drive off Nitish Kumar Reddy to Jaiswal – one of two gullies posted by India in the hope of such a dismissal.

Harry Brook came in and struck three successive boundaries off Deep – two scooped fours followed by a thumping straight six over long-off.

But fast bowler Deep bowled Brook for 23 as the world's top-ranked test batsman failed to make contact with an over-ambitious sweep.

ENGLAND: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir

INDIA: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj

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