PICTURE IMPERFECT: NO BAILOUT FOR INDIA

Jadeja fought till the end along with Bumrah and Siraj, but hosts had the last laugh, handing visitors a heartbreaking defeat to take 2-1 lead in the five-Test series

- Firoz Mirza @London

The sellout Lord's crowd thundered and bellowed every ball defended by the Indian tail and every single Ravinder Jadeja too. A riveting session of Test cricket was on. The first session belonged to England. Four wickets and India were reeling at 112 for eight. In came Jasprit Bumrah, known for his bowling exploits. India's hopes almost shattered. Then the rearguard action began. Jadeja was batting to steer India over that elusive victory target 193 set by England on Sunday. No one would have thought the match would stretch beyond tea. But it did. In the end, Bumrah played 54 balls for five runs and later Mohammed Siraj played 30 balls and bridged the gap to just 22 runs. And just when hopes glistened and danced in the distance in the afternoon sun, Siraj got out. The two along with Jadeja batted for more than two and a half hours. Lord's, the Home of cricket couldn't have asked for more.