India’s Chase Falters at Lord’s After Rishabh Pant Falls Early — Jadeja, Nitish Reddy Last Hope

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): On the fifth day of the third Test at Lord’s between India and England, Indian fans had high hopes from Rishabh Pant, but the wicketkeeper-batter disappointed, getting bowled by Jofra Archer for just 9 runs off 12 balls. Pant’s early dismissal proved to be a major setback in India’s 193-run chase.

Pant, who had earlier scored 74 runs in the first innings, and had delivered consistent performances in previous matches with scores of 134, 118, 25, and 65, failed to rise to the occasion at this critical juncture. India had matched England’s first-innings score of 387, with contributions from KL Rahul (century), Pant (74), and Jadeja (72). England’s innings was powered by Joe Root’s 104, while Jasprit Bumrah took five wickets for India.

In England’s second innings, the hosts were restricted to just 192 runs, setting a target of 193 for India. However, India’s chase got off to a poor start. Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for a duck, followed by Karun Nair (14), captain Shubman Gill (6), and Akash Deep (1). Pant’s early wicket on Day 5 further dented India’s chances, and the dismissals of KL Rahul and Washington Sundar deepened the crisis.

As of now, India has lost seven wickets in the second innings, and all hopes rest on Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Reddy to stage a comeback in this tight contest.