India fell just 22 runs short in a thrilling third Test against England at Lord’s, thereby going 1-2 down in the five-match series.

After the narrow defeat, India skipper Shubman Gill remained tight-lipped on Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the fourth Test in Manchester, slated to begin on July 23.

"You will get to know about it soon," Gill said at the post-match presentation when asked about Bumrah’s potential inclusion, keeping fans and analysts guessing.

Bumrah was rested for the second Test at Edgbaston to manage his workload. On his return at Lord’s, the ace pacer returned with a five-wicket haul in England’s first innings. He also contributed with the bat - facing 54 balls for 5 runs and forging a crucial 25-run stand for the ninth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja that brought India agonisingly close to a famous win.

Reflecting on India’s loss, Gill expressed pride in the team’s effort. “Five days of hard-fought cricket and it comes down to the last session, last wicket. Tremendously proud of the effort,” he said.

“I was pretty confident about the chase, especially with plenty of batting left. But England kept attacking and we couldn’t string together a couple of 50-run partnerships in the top order.”

Chasing 193 to win, the tourits were reeling at 112/8 when Jadeja and Bumrah began their rescue act. Jadeja’s unbeaten 61 and the resistance shown by the tail had the Lord’s crowd on edge.

After Bumrah’s dismissal, Mohammed Siraj batted courageously before being bowled by Shoaib Bashir, which folded India’s second innings at 170.

“We knew if we got a lead of 80-100 in the first innings, it would have made the chase on day five really difficult for them,” Gill admitted.

“Even in the morning, we were hoping for just one 50-run stand in the top order. That would’ve made things easier.”

Lauding Jadeja’s composure, Gill remarked: “He is very experienced. I didn’t want to give him any message. I just wanted him and the tail-enders to bat as long as possible.”

The captain also pointed out moments where India squandered the advantage. “I think in the last one hour yesterday, we could have applied ourselves better, especially the last two wickets that fell,” he said.

However, Gill sounded optimistic for the remainder of the series: “Sometimes, the series scorecard doesn’t reflect how well you’ve played. We’ve played some really good cricket, and I think it’s going to be an even more exciting series from here on.”