India are 1-2 behind in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy after losing the Lord's Test.
Team India lost the third Test against England at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground by 22 runs, thereby going 1-2 down in the five-match series.
Chasing 193, India were bowled out for 170, but not before putting up a valiant fight led by Ravindra Jadeja. The all-rounder was left stranded on 61*, having nearly pulled off the improbable.
With the last recognised batter in KL Rahul falling at 81/6, Jadeja stood firmly with the tail, dragging India within touching distance of victory. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj displayed admirable grit, but England bowlers eventually prevailed in closing out the game.
After the game, veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane weighed in on India's defeat, and pointed out various reasons why Shubman Gill’s men lost the Lord’s Test.
According to Rahane, Pant's run-out in the first innings and then Karun Nair's brain fade in the second essay cost India dearly.
"I thought Ben Stokes attacking the ball, one-handed pick-up and throwing towards the non-striker was amazing. It's very easy for the fielder to get relaxed," Rahane said on his YouTube channel.
"When you see only two or three balls left before lunch, you can easily get relaxed. But his attitude towards the ball, his intensity, and getting that run-out — that's where I felt England came into the game."
Rahane felt India were cruising in the final innings despite losing left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal's wicket early.
"At that point in time, India were cruising — 40-odd for one. But that LBW of Karun Nair, that changed the game for India and England.
"I thought England came back into the game really well. And after that, they started bowling well. Their intensity on the field, their fielders, the character they showed — it was amazing.
"That's what you want to see in Test cricket — all 11 fielders coming together and looking to win the Test match. It was so good to see their attitude and character on the field.
"Even though India fought back really well, again, credit goes to the England team — the way they came back into the game and won the Test match," he remarked.
Rahane further stated that it was India’s game to win and they should have gained a significant first-innings lead instead of matching England’s score.
"As I said earlier, it was India's Test match to win. When KL and Rishabh were batting in the first innings, I thought their partnership was amazing. They batted beautifully. But India was 75–100 runs short,” the 37-year-old said.
"We all know that Day 4 and 5 get slightly difficult to bat on. It's not easy to score runs. Yes, England bowled really well.
"But I felt India missed an opportunity to get that big score on the board in the first innings. And also, I feel going forward, India should look to add one extra bowler — because you're going to win a Test match or a Test series by getting 20 wickets,” he concluded.