Mohammed Siraj was the last wicket to fall for India, that allowed England to win the third Test at Lord's. England won the Test match by 22 runs and took a 2-1 lead in the series.
Ravindra Jadeja was stranded at the other as he was unbeaten on 61 runs and looked to the heavens in utter disbelief. It was a Test match of what-ifs for the Indian team. A little resistance from the top-order would have seen India end up with a different result.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri also blamed the top-order for not fighting a little harder to notch up a win. In his interaction with the ICC, he pinpointed at a few key moments in the match which were the turning points of the game.
Also Read: IND vs ENG 2025: England Players Fined, Docked WTC Points For Slow Over-Rate in Lord's Test
Stokes And Jadeja Stood Like Fotrtess - R Ashwin
Now, Ravichandran Ashwin, on his YouTube channel, said that his father trusted Mohammed Siraj to win the match with three sixes.
"Ben Stokes bowled an unbelievable spell. I was discussing this with my father. He was assured that Siraj would finish it by smashing three sixes. I was asking him to cut down the jokes. Looking at Ben Stokes, he started talking about a bowler from his league games, who used to bowl from both ends," said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
He further lauded Ben Stokes' effort with the ball and Ravindra Jadeja's effort with the bat for keeping their teams in the game.
"In both spells of 9.2 and 10 overs, he was bowling at 132-140 kph. At one end, you had Jadeja, standing like a fortress, stitching India's resistance and on the other, you had Stokes doing the same for England," Ashwin added.
Ben Stokes took five wickets in the match and also scored 44 and 33 runs in the two innings of the Lord's Test, stitching key partnerships with Jamie Smith in the first innings and Joe Root in the second.
Ashwin Praises Root, Crawley For Consoling Siraj
Ashwin also praised Root and Zak Crawley for consoling Siraj after the match was over. Both shook hands with the Indian pacer and lauded his efforts with the bat. The Indian pacer batted for 30 balls, allowing Jadeja to score from the other end.
"What a battle. It was an amazing Test match. It was a battle among equals. Both teams were challenging each other to the limits and it ended at this moment. Look at how Crawley and Root are consoling Siraj with an arm around him. The beauty of this Test match was that every player was at loggerheads with each other. It was theatrical," Ashwin said.
The fourth Test starts from July 23, with all to play for as Team India, as they need to level the series. Meanwhile, a Sky Sports report said that both Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant are available for the fourth Test.
Also read: IND vs ENG: “Learnings Make You Stronger” - KL Rahul Reflects After Lord’s Test Defeat
