England Edge India in Thrilling 22-Run Victory at Lord's, Take 2-1 Series Lead

England pulled off an exciting 22-run victory against India in the third Test at Lord’s, grabbing a 2-1 lead in the five-match series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

India, chasing 193 to win, fell short at 170 all out, despite a gutsy 61 from Ravindra Jadeja, as England’s bowlers turned the screws.

Starting Day 5 at 58/4, India needed 135 more runs with six wickets left. Things unraveled quickly in the morning. Jofra Archer got the ball rolling, bowling out Rishabh Pant (9) with a scorching delivery that knocked back the off-stump.

KL Rahul (39) was next, caught out by a sharp review from Ben Stokes for LBW. Washington Sundar didn’t trouble the scorers, and India were in deep trouble.

Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy put up a fight with a 30-run partnership, but Chris Woakes broke through, dismissing Reddy just before lunch.

• England Clinch 22-Run Victory Over India in Lord’s Thriller to Lead Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-1
• Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes Star as England Edge Out India in Tight Lord’s Test
• Ravindra Jadeja’s Fighting 60 Falls Short as India Lose 3rd Test at Lord’s by 22 Runs

After the break, Jadeja kept India’s hopes alive. He teamed up with Jasprit Bumrah for a stubborn 35-run stand, inching closer to the target with a hard-fought 60. But England’s bowlers, led by Stokes and Archer, never let up. The game-changer came in the 75th over when Shoaib Bashir got Mohammed Siraj, sealing India’s fate 22 runs shy of victory.

England’s attack was relentless, with Archer’s pace and Stokes’ all-around heroics earning him Player of the Match. Earlier, India had done well to bowl England out for 192 in their second innings, thanks to Washington Sundar’s brilliant 4/22. But India’s top order, including Yashasvi Jaiswal (0) and Shubman Gill (6), crumbled early, setting a tough tone.

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Indian captain Shubman Gill pointed to the lack of big partnerships as the key issue, singling out Pant’s run-out as a momentum-killer. “We played good cricket, but needed one big partnership,” Gill said. With England now in the driver’s seat, the teams head to Old Trafford for the fourth Test on July 23, setting the stage for another cracker.