England and India were heading for a nerve-shredding conclusion to the third Rothesay Test at Lord’s, with the hosts one wicket away from victory and the tourists just 30 short of a remarkable win heading into the last session.
Chasing 193 the tourists slipped to 112 for eight at lunch, 81 short of the winning line with their tail end exposed, but Ravindra Jadeja produced a masterclass of concentration to take the game to the wire at 163 for nine.
He shared painstaking stands of 30 in 91 balls with Nitish Kumar Reddy and 35 in 132 with Jasprit Bumrah, before entering the closing stretch with number 11 Mohammed Siraj.
Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes took four wickets between them to push England towards the finish line, including an early burst of three for 11 runs as the hosts took control of a nailbiter in front of a 30,000 sellout crowd.
Chris Woakes took the other, a crucial dismissal of Reddy in the last over before lunch.
But Jadeja’s fourth consecutive half-century in the series threatened to make all that hard work count for nothing as he reached the final interval on 56 not out from 162 balls.
Stokes started for England, having bowled Akash Deep midway through the final over of day four, and proceeded to bowl the next nine overs unchanged in a mammoth effort.
He gave Archer first use of the Pavilion End and, although he coughed up a cheap boundary as his second ball slid down leg, the captain’s faith was repaid in full when he blew Rishabh Pant away with his 11th delivery of the day.
Pant was clearly struggling with the finger injury that prevented him keeping wicket in England’s second innings but had just hit a remarkable one-handed four when Archer ripped one past the outside edge and sent off stump flying.
KL Rahul increasingly looked like the key man for India, his ability to soak up pressure a vital resource in a tense pursuit. But he was unable to move the dial for his team, eking out just six runs in 35 minutes, before being undone by the England skipper for 39.
Stokes appealed long and hard after rapping the opener’s front pad deep in the crease, falling to his knees as he failed to persuade umpire Sharfuddoula Saikat. He did not need any persuasion to signal for a review and ball tracking confirmed that Rahul was bang to rights.
England celebrations suggested they knew it was a pivotal moment. The hosts were now clear favourites and a flash of inspiration in the next over cemented their position.
Washington Sundar had predicted India would “definitely” win “just after lunch” in a television interview but the all-rounder’s bold claim was rewarded with a four-ball duck, Archer leaping to claim a stunning caught and bowled after taking the leading edge.
A set of five wides from Archer, trampolining over Jamie Smith’s head, took a handy chunk out of the target and a flicked single from Jadeja took the chase into double figures for the first time.
Stokes called for some noise from the home supporters but the numbers game was against him, with India chants erupting as an inside edge from Reddy brought up the visitors’ hundred.
Brydon Carse took over from Archer and found himself at the centre of a flashpoint as Jadeja collided with him while making a run. It was an accidental coming together but that did not stop Stokes inserting himself into the situation as terse words were exchanged.
The eight-wicket stand had just started to become a genuine cause for concern when Woakes came to the party, rewarded for a tidy line when Reddy shaped to defend and nicked off with three just seconds left before the break. He threw his head back in dismay before the umpire even raised his finger, his hard work undone at the last.
The afternoon session stretched to two-and-a-half hours after the ninth wicket fell, Bumrah flapping Stokes to substitute fielder Sam Cook at mid-on as 54 balls of dogged defence came undone.
Just 51 were scored in that time as Jadeja nudged his side gently towards what had seemed a distant target at the start of the session.
