Dominant pacers hand England 2-1 series edge at Lord's
The home side sealed a thrilling 22-run win on the final day of the third Test at Lord’s to take the lead in the five-Test series against India.
After two gripping contests that went down to the final day, England produced a dominant performance at Lord’s to secure a thrilling win and take a 2-1 lead in the five-match Test series against India as part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27.
Defending a target of 193, Jofra Archer (3-55) and Ben Stokes (3-48) grabbed three apiece, with able support from Brydon Carse (2-30) and Chris Woakes (1-21) pulled off the job for the home side.
The Ben Stokes-led side had made early inroads late on Day 4, reducing India to 58/4 by stumps.
Jofra Archer was at the heart of the assault on the final day, setting the tone early on Day 5 by castling Rishabh Pant in just the third over after the restart.
KL Rahul, having made a commanding 39 off 58 at the top, was next to fall, having been undone by a vicious nip-backer from Stokes.
Archer then delivered a spectacular caught and bowled to dismiss Washington Sundar, picking up his third wicket of the innings and leaving India reeling at 82/7.
A budding partnership between Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy threatened to mount a fightback, but Chris Woakes struck just before lunch to break the stand and edge England closer to victory.
Jasprit Bumrah showed resistance alongside Jadeja in the post-lunch session, but the skipper’s attempt to pull Stokes ended in the hands of substitute fielder Sam Cook, ending the partnership.
Jadeja, the ICC’s No.1 ranked Test all-rounder, continued to battle on, bringing up his fourth consecutive half-century of the series, but it wasn’t enough to deny England the win.
The game came to a close after Shoaib Bashir’s flighted delivery trickled down the face of Mohammed Siraj’s bat, into the crease, and logging back on the leg stump to bowl India out for 170 and give England the series lead.
Shoaib Bashir celebrates after scalping the final Indian wicket at Lord's. // Getty Images
Earlier, England won the toss and opted to bat first, putting up 387 runs on the board. Joe Root led the charge with a sublime 37th Test century, placing him among the top five century-makers in the format’s history.
India responded strongly, matching England’s total to the run - a rare occurrence that marked just the ninth time in Test history where both teams posted identical first-innings scores.
Rahul anchored the reply with a composed century, supported well by Rishabh Pant (74) and Ravindra Jadeja (72).
India’s bowlers then delivered a clinical effort in the second innings to bowl England out for 192. Washington Sundar was the standout, claiming four crucial wickets to set up a manageable target for the visitors.
Despite Jadeja's lone-warrior knock of 61*, the final innings belonged to England's pace attack, as Archer, Stokes, and Woakes combined to rip through the Indian lineup and hand the home side a commanding win.
The fourth Test will begin at Old Trafford in Manchester on Wednesday, 23 July.