In the thrilling third Test at the legendary Lord’s, England defeated India by 22 runs to take a 2-1 series lead. But the gesture made by captain Ben Stokes after England took the last wicket was what caught people’s attention. After being eliminated as the final man standing, Mohammed Siraj was distraught and the all-rounder was seen approaching him to offer consolation.
The match was in the balance at the start of the fifth day. But before midday, the home team took three wickets. However, the visitors were kept in the game by Ravindra Jadeja’s undefeated 61. He gave Indian supporters hope of victory by pushing the match into the last session with the help of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Siraj, however, faced 30 balls and provided Jadeja with outstanding support.
Before the pacer lost his wicket, the two scored 23 crucial runs for the final wicket. Siraj guarded the ball as it spun off the middle of the bat, rolled down, and dislodged the leg stump, but off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who was playing with a fractured finger, gave the last blow by tossing it up.
Siraj was clearly crying, as Bashir rushed off in joy. Siraj was initially approached by Harry Brook, then by Joe Root, who congratulated him. Ben Stokes was then shown comforting Siraj by tapping his chest.
Take a look at the video below.
Test Cricket.
Wow.
😍 pic.twitter.com/XGDWM1xR2H— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 14, 2025
It was a remarkable conclusion: Ben Stokes
England, however, had set 193 as India’s goal. With 77 runs and six wickets in the game, Stokes’ all-around performance earned him his fourth Player of the Match title at Lord’s, more than any other player in the stadium’s history. He talked candidly about the team’s play and winning the five-match series in his post-match interview.
“It was (amazing finish).” One of those thoughts, “What is it six years now to the day?” was also one of the reasons Jof and I went this morning. (2019 WC victory). Jof was crucial in that; he simply had the impression that he would do something exceptional and ended up taking two wickets, blowing the game up. There was some debate in the dressing room, so it wasn’t an easy decision. It was Jof’s first game back in the Test team, and sometimes your instincts work. Brydon (Carse) had a fantastic spell last night; he was storming in and had excellent rhythm
. It’s great to see him again. The game feels different when he switches it on and the speeds appear on the screen. First time out, he did a fantastic job getting through the overs. It was a difficult week, but he took some important wickets. I believed I had previously gotten myself into some fairly bad situations, but today I’m bowling to win a Test match for your nation. I don’t know what will motivate you if that doesn’t. Despite having a fractured hand, Bashir showed incredible bravery by taking charge with the bat and then coming out to take the final wicket for the team.
There was more cricket to be played yesterday, so it was a little different from today. I must admit that I was fried yesterday as well, but nothing could stop me from playing because the game was on the line. Being an all-rounder gives me four chances to impact the game, and one of the best things about it is that you have the other option if something doesn’t work out. I had bowled a crucial session and was feeling very psyched up.
It was one of those situations where I saw Rishabh stumble in my peripheral vision. When you let go of the ball and know it is headed for the stumps, it’s a wonderful sensation. We all know how dangerous Rishabh can be, and he played a great part in the game. Jofra was the one who took the crucial wicket this morning. We battled toe to toe in this game, and it was always going to be that way with two excellent teams playing one other. I won’t lie, though, but I can’t wait to rest for four days before I’m prepared to travel to Manchester,” he said.
India
