Dramatic Day 3 at Lord's: India vs England Test Match Heats Up
Intense Moments on Day 3
The third Test match between India and England at Lord's concluded its third day with heightened emotions, particularly in the final moments. India showcased a strong batting performance, highlighted by KL Rahul's elegant century, Rishabh Pant's quickfire 74, and Ravindra Jadeja's determined 72. However, the atmosphere shifted dramatically as England's openers took to the field for a brief period before the day's end.
India's innings concluded at 387, matching England's first-innings total and setting the stage for an exciting second half of the match. Yet, as the day drew to a close, tensions escalated. Jasprit Bumrah opened the bowling for India's second innings, and in his very first over, England's Zak Crawley appeared to deliberately slow down the game.
Crawley's behavior, which included fidgeting and repeatedly adjusting his gear, drew immediate scrutiny. His actions seemed aimed at wasting time, leading to the stumps being called after just one over. Indian captain Shubman Gill expressed his frustration, exchanging words with Crawley, much to the surprise of onlookers.
Reactions from Former Players
The incident sparked significant reactions, particularly from former Indian cricketer Farokh Engineer, who criticized Crawley's actions as 'blatant cheating' during an interview. Engineer stated, 'While the English may call it professionalism, I see it as cheating. It was clear time-wasting, and Crawley made no effort to disguise it. This is not fair play, and I doubt our batsmen would resort to such obvious tactics.'
He further commented on England's much-discussed 'Bazball' approach, suggesting it fails against top-tier teams like India. 'Bazball is just a gimmick. They might succeed against teams like Bangladesh or Afghanistan, but not against India. I wish they would stick to it; we would have already won the series,' he remarked with a laugh.
As the Test match progresses into Day 4, all eyes will be on how England responds to India's assertiveness, not just in terms of runs and wickets, but also in their sportsmanship and attitude.