On Day 5 of the third Test at Lord’s, England find themselves just one wicket away from sealing a thrilling victory over India in a low-scoring, hard-fought contest. With India needing 193 runs to claim the match and take a 2–1 lead in the five-Test series, the visitors have shown resistance—but England’s bowling attack has delivered under pressure.
As of the latest update, India are nine wickets down with just over 30 runs still required, creating a nail-biting finish. The game has been a see-saw battle, with both sides exchanging momentum across all five days.
India’s chase began cautiously but was quickly rocked by early breakthroughs from the English seamers. Chris Woakes and Mark Wood bowled with accuracy and intensity, exploiting the overcast conditions and a lively Lord’s pitch. Ben Stokes rotated his bowlers well, applying pressure and setting attacking fields that led to a steady fall of wickets.
Rohit Sharma played a captain’s knock early in the innings but fell just after reaching his half-century, caught behind off a peach of a delivery from Wood. Virat Kohli looked composed at the crease, pushing singles and punishing loose deliveries, but fell victim to a moment of brilliance from Ben Stokes at slip.
India’s middle order—often their Achilles’ heel in overseas conditions—once again struggled under pressure. Ravindra Jadeja offered brief resistance with some audacious stroke play, but he too perished while trying to counter-attack. Rishabh Pant, who has a reputation for pulling off miraculous chases, played a cameo before edging to second slip.
England’s bowlers deserve immense credit, especially Woakes, who has returned to the side with renewed vigor and accuracy. His ability to swing the ball both ways made him a constant threat, and he has taken four crucial wickets in the innings so far.
The final Indian pair at the crease—Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj—face an uphill battle. While Bumrah has shown unexpected resilience with the bat in the past, chasing over 30 runs with just one wicket remaining on a deteriorating pitch seems improbable.
The match has not been without its drama. Siraj was fined for a fiery send-off to Ben Duckett earlier in the game, and a tense moment flared up between Jadeja and Brydon Carse, prompting umpire intervention and Ben Stokes’s diplomatic leadership to cool things down.
Should England claim the final wicket, it would mark one of their most remarkable Test wins under Stokes’ captaincy, especially given their first-innings deficit and the low fourth-innings target, which on paper seemed chaseable.
As the clock ticks and the tension builds at the Home of Cricket, fans worldwide are glued to the action. Regardless of the final result, this Test will go down as a classic in modern cricket history.