India vs England 3rd Test 2025: Jadeja Fights Alone as India Falls
India vs England 3rd Test 2025: India’s hopes for a historic victory at Lord’s were dashed due to an unbelievable collapse on the final day of the third Test against England. Chasing a modest target of 135 with six wickets still remaining, India’s batsmen struggled during the first session, eventually losing by 65 runs. Former Indian captain, Sunil Gavaskar, was direct in his criticism after the match, saying partnerships were required and questioning certain tactical decisions during the innings.
Early Wickets Help England To Victory
On an overcast day at the hallowed Lord’s Cricket Ground, England’s trio of fast bowlers, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and Chris Woakes were dismantling India’s middle and lower order. After the first ball of the day, India was only 53 runs away from victory, having reached 82/7 at one point – a clear sign that a collapse was occurring.
Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes were both deadly from the very first ball of the day. Archer eliminated Rishabh Pant’s off-stump with a ball that straightened past the bat, while Stokes had KL Rahul in front first ball too – although a review overturned the decision.
Chris Woakes played an important role too. Just before lunch, he dismissed Nitish Kumar Reddy after he had started to show some resistance. That dismissal finished the last of the significant lower order partnership, meaning that England only required two wickets after lunch, in order to claim victory.
Ravindra Jadeja’s Lone Resistance
Despite India crumbling, Ravindra Jadeja fought valiantly. The Indian all rounder had a strong connection with the lower order, and sustained brief hopes. While wickets fell around him, Jadeja focused on trying to rotate the strike and protect the tail, while playing some well controlled strokes.
However, Gavaskar thought Jadeja got it wrong, tripling out after arguing, on Sony Sports, that “A partnership of 60-70 would have made a difference”. India never received that.
One might argue that Jadeja could’ve taken the odd chance without having to take to the air with either Joe Root or Shoaib Bashir bowling. “But he should get a lot of credit (Jadeja).”
His comments rang the discontent of a nation who wanted to see better decision making, when it mattered.
Jofra Archer Back
Archer, playing his first Test match since making a Test debut, showed why he remains one of the most powerful fast bowlers in the game. he not only bowled some aggressive deliveries but he even managed to take a one-handed catch off his own bowling to dismiss Washington Sundar for a duck, a frankly ridiculous catch. Archer finished his spell with 3 wickets for 30 runs from 16 overs, which is an incredible return.
As ever in Test matches, Ben Stokes was the quality player, claiming three wickets himself and showed his tactical genius with the variations in his bowling and with the field placement he employed.
Were there, in the end, too many mistakes that resulted in India’s loss?
India’s loss wasn’t just down to a horrible single session. The lack of performance from the top-order batsmen and the poor decisions they made with their shots meant England controlled the final day. Rishabh Pant was trying to be aggressive even with his damaged hand but wasn’t. Rahul’s dismissal from a review only compounded India’s troubles.
The lower-order batsmen were trying to dig in and hold on but they couldn’t take it down to the final hour of play. The 170 in 74.5 overs was frustratingly unacceptable from India and left fans and pundits wondering about what might have been.
Looking Ahead
This defeat at Lord’s will rankle with India particularly given the state of play at the start of Day 5. With this series in mind as a whole, the team will have to re-evaluate the way they are going to play in their next matches particularly in the context of batting partnerships and mental resilience in difficult times.
Meanwhile, England benefitted from the captaincy of Joe Root, the return of Jofra Archer and a resilient bowling attack that cracked up under pressure on promising occasions.
For those forward-thinking fans catching up with the sports news headlines today, this game will serve as a typical example of a Test match lost through non-execution and failure of execution.
India’s defeat at Lord’s is more than just another entry in the record books — it is a lesson in Test match mentality. As the series progresses, all eyes will be on how Rohit Sharma and his team respond to this setback — will they learn and come back stronger, or will the memories of Lord’s loom large for them in the future? Only time and the next Test match will tell.
