Team India lost the third Test against England at Lord’s by 22 runs while chasing 193 in the fourth innings. As a result, the Shubman Gill-led side conceded 1-2 lead to England in the five-match series.

Resuming the final day at 58/4, Ravindra Jadeja was India's only hope for a miracle after Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer caused another collapse early on Day 5, leaving the visitors eight down in their chase of 193.

The all-rounder put up a brave fight alongside No. 10 Jasprit Bumrah and last man Mohammed Siraj, scoring the slowest fifty in his Test career. England were left frustrated by Jadeja's presence since they had anticipated wrapping up the game in the first session itself.

However, former India head coach Greg Chappell questioned Jadeja's conservative approach in the chase as he remained unbeaten on 61 off 181 balls with four boundaries and one six.

“The Lord's Test also provided a telling moment with the way Jadeja was managed late in the match. Left with the tail, Jadeja did what many specialist batters do in that situation: he shielded the tail, farmed the strike, and played conservatively. On the surface, it was a disciplined innings. But was it the right one?”

“The truth is, Jadeja was the only recognised batter left. If India were to chase down the target, he had to take calculated risks. His job wasn't to leave balls and collect singles - it was to win the match. That clarity should have come from the dressing room, from the captain.”

“He needed to be told directly: 'You are the man who has to get this done. The tail's job is to hang in there with you, but you must go for the win',” wrote Chappell in his column for ESPNcricinfo on Saturday (July 19).

Chappell also recalled England facing a similar situation in the 2019 Ashes against Australia at Headingley, where when Ben Stokes went the aggressive way to take his team over the finishing line.

“We saw exactly that from England's Ben Stokes against Australia in Leeds in 2019. In a similar situation, he backed himself and produced one of the best innings of the past 50 years. Importantly, Stokes played that innings knowing that, succeed or fail, his team and leadership would have his back. That's the mindset that needs to be fostered in any great team,” he concluded.

After losing Lord’s defeat, India are now 1-2 behind in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. They can’t afford to lose any more matches or the series will be gone.

The penultimate Test of the five-match series is set to begin on July 23 at Old Trafford, Manchester.