Follow UsTeam India endured one of their most painful defeats in recent times in the third Test against England at Lord’s as they fell short by just 20 runs chasing 192, with Mohammed Siraj perishing in heartbreaking fashion after showing tons of resilience with the bat against the odds.
The England players consoled the heartbroken Indian batters, Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja, after the fall of the wicket and showed great respect, but much of the Test was dominated by verbal volleys from both sides.
It started with Indian captain Shubman Gill tearing into Zak Crawley late on day three for wasting time, and throughout the fifth day, the English players were on the ears of the Indian batters, sledging them continuously in a bid to unsettle them. There was drama on Day 4 too, with Siraj giving a send-off to Ben Duckett, for which he got reprimanded eventually.
Tempers flared, but speaking about the on-field tension, Gill said that both teams were fierce competitors who had respect for each other, and merely exchanged harsh words in the heat of the moment.
"I mean, you are giving everything, mentally, physically, everything. There would be times where there would be a little bit of heat from both sides. But I think that's what makes it so exciting,” Gill said at the post-match press conference, reported Cricbuzz.
"That's what makes it more challenging. The next time we are going to play against each other, there won't be... At the end of the day, there is a lot of admiration within two teams. Both the teams try their best to win a match and perform.
“There can be moments where there would be some kind of heat. You are in the moment. You are trying everything to be able to do whatever it takes to make your team win. And I think it happens in a game of cricket.”
India have played some fantastic cricket over the course of three Tests, but still find themselves 2-1 down despite controlling every game at some point. How has it come to this point?
Gill reckoned that India have not been able to do damage control in the ‘bad’ sessions they’ve had, something he believes has cost the team severely.
"I think the majority of the days if we see in the 15 days, we may have won more days than them. But the sessions that didn't go well have gone very badly. So we will have to find that balance when we know that things are not going according to plan,” the Indian captain said.
"So how can we improve that? Or if the batting is collapsing, how can we turn a four-wicket session into 2 or 2? These are the small margins that are very important in any series. But still, I think this match was very close. Even now we felt that we are coming from [a defeat of] 20 runs. If there was a partnership of 10 runs, then there is more pressure on the other team.
"And in the pressure, a person tries to do something new. So at the end of the day, you have played for five days in so many sessions. There are a lot of small moments that you could have done better. But as a whole, if you look at the match, I am very proud of the effort that we put in."
That India got to 22 runs of the target was all down to Ravindra Jadeja, who remained unbeaten on 61* in a lone-warrior showing on the final.
The team India skipper was full of praise for the all-rounder, who was left stranded when Siraj got bowled in the most bizarre fashion imaginable.
"He [Jadeja] is one of the most valuable players in India. I think the experience that he brings in, the skill set that he brings with his bowling, batting and fielding is someone that is very rare and hard to find. And the kind of composure that he showed today, it was just tremendous to watch,” Gill said.
“I think batting with the lower order of the tail has been one of the things that we spoke about in the previous two matches, that our lower order of the tail hasn't been contributing as much. But I think the character and the courage that they showed was tremendous.
"The way we were in the game till the end, it felt like we could go very close if a partnership had added another 10 runs. And I think it's a very proud effort from the team," he added.
The two teams get eight days off before the fourth Test at Old Trafford, which starts from July 23.