Ben Stokes summoned every ounce of his competitive fire to lead England to a nerve-jangling 22-run victory over India in the third Rothesay Test at Lord’s on Monday, giving the hosts a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
On a gripping fifth day that swung between domination and desperation, Stokes emerged as the heartbeat of an England side that looked in danger of letting the game slip away against the stoic resistance of Ravindra Jadeja.
Set a target of 193, India’s chase collapsed to 112-8 before Jadeja, unbeaten on 61, combined with tailenders Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj to drag the contest deep into the evening. Bumrah survived 54 balls for just five runs in a partnership of 35 with Jadeja that frayed the nerves of a sold-out Lord’s crowd.
But Stokes, relentless from the Nursery End, finally tempted Bumrah into a mistimed pull that found mid-on. After tea, with just 30 runs needed, a battered Shoaib Bashir — playing his final game of the series due to a finger injury — bowled Siraj off his own pad to complete the victory. It was a stunning final act in a match that took days to ignite but exploded into drama in the closing hours.
“It was just about holding my nerve,” Stokes said after the win. “We knew Jadeja was the big wicket. To see it through with Bash was unbelievable.”
Stokes finished with 3-48, while Jofra Archer, in his first Test since 2021, showed glimpses of his old self with 3-55, including a classic fast-bowler’s dismissal of Rishabh Pant — clean bowled through the gate.
India will rue missed chances, particularly after matching England’s first-innings total of 387, with KL Rahul scoring 100 and Pant adding 74. But they were undone by a lack of support for Jadeja in the second innings, where Sundar’s 4-22 briefly gave India hope of a series lead.
The match, slow to develop, ultimately delivered one of the tightest finishes Lord’s has witnessed. England’s narrowest win by runs at the iconic ground is also one of their most memorable.
England will now head to Old Trafford for the fourth Test on July 23, needing just one more victory to secure a rare series triumph. They will, however, be without Bashir, while India faces anxious waits over Pant’s finger injury.
This series, finely poised and fiercely contested, is set for a dramatic conclusion. With Ben Stokes at the helm, England have momentum — and belief — on their side.