LONDON (AP) — India was given no chance of winning the Lord’s test at lunch on the last day Monday.
LONDON (AP) — India was given no chance of winning the Lord’s test at lunch on the last day Monday.
When Ravindra Jadeja and the tail were still going against England after tea, India captain Shubman Gill believed they could pull off a comeback for the ages.
Chasing 193 for victory, Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah scored 35 runs in 22 overs for the ninth wicket. Then Jadeja and last man Mohammed Siraj added 23 in 13 overs.
Gill believed they needed to get to play the second new ball. They were 5.1 overs from the new ball becoming available to England when Siraj played on and was unlucky to be bowled.
India lost by just 22 runsto trail 2-1 in the five-match series and began to play the “what if” game.
“When Bumrah Bhai and Jaddu Bhai were batting, every five or six runs that we were scoring, we could see there was pressure coming on them (England). Every five or six runs. And that’s all it was,” Gill said.
“A small partnership of 30-40 runs could make such a huge difference. And we were quite optimistic when Siraj was batting that if we just go up to the second new ball, and if we have 12 or 15 runs with the second new ball, you never know. A couple of boundaries here and there and then you’re right back on the top.”
Jadeja was unbeaten on 61 off 181 balls — his second half-century of the match — and was praised by Gill for also how he marshalled the tail.
“He is one of the most valuable players in India. The experience that he brings in, the skillset that he brings with his bowling, batting and fielding is very rare,” Gill said. “And the kind of composure that he showed today, it was just tremendous to watch.
“Batting with the lower order of the tail has been one of the things that we spoke about in the previous two matches — that our lower order hasn’t been contributing as much. But I think the character and the courage that they showed was tremendous.”
He believedRishabh Pant’s run outon Saturday while trying to help Lokesh Rahul reach a century was India’s most decisive moment.
Pant was trying to help Rahul get to 100 in the last over before lunch and was run out for 74. The pair had 141 runs together and Gill thought India could have eclipsed England’s first-innings total. Instead, they tied England’s total of 387.
“We thought we could take the lead by 50 or 100 runs,” Gill said. “We knew it wouldn’t be easy to bat on Day 5. The more lead we get in the first innings, the better for us.
“We talk a lot about keeping the team’s interest ahead of personal milestones. I think it was an error of judgment (by Pant). I think he said it would be better if (Rahul) scored 100 runs before the lunch. A batsman feels pressure at 99 runs.
“Rishabh made the call. I would say it was an error of judgment. It can happen to any batsman.”
Pant didn’t keep wicketfrom after lunch on Day 1 because of an injury to his left index finger. Scans didn’t reveal a major injury, Gill said, and he believed Pant should be okay to play in the fourth test at Old Trafford starting on July 23.
Gill wouldn’t say whether star bowler Jasprit Bumrah, restricted to appearing in three tests for health reasons, would play his third test at Old Trafford.
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AP cricket:https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Foster Niumata, The Associated Press