Great advertisement for Test cricket, says Kumble

Anil Kumble hailed the third Test between India and England at Lord’s as a brilliant contest and a great advertisement for Test cricket. He praised Jadeja’s efforts, highlighted missed chances, and urged India to seize key moments in upcoming matches.

HYDERABAD: Former India leg-spinner and JioHotstar expert Anil Kumble said the third Test at Lord’s, which England won by 22 runs against India on Monday night, reminded one Test match where India lost by 12 runs against Pakistan in Chennai.

“It was a similar kind of dismissal. Just 22 runs. Jadeja left stranded—I mean, he planned to get India this close to winning. But England just stuck to their task,” Kumble said.

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“I guess the previous over from Jofra Archer certainly rattled Siraj. It’s not like he was looking to take the bowler on, but the silly point coming in added pressure. Thought that was a great chance to pull off a historic win. But that’s what it should be for India—despite losing by 22 runs, there are a lot of positives,” he said.

Kumble, speaking about all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s fighting knocks in both innings, said Jadeja would have identified the bowlers he could target.

“Like I mentioned—Chris Woakes, who’s slightly slower in the air, and Joe Root or Bashir. Even though they’re off-spinners, it wasn’t like the ball was turning square. Jadeja has played on tougher wickets against tougher bowling attacks. Ideally, if someone had to take the risk and get out, it should have been Jadeja rather than Siraj,” he said.

“Jadeja did well to farm the strike, especially with Bumrah and Siraj at the other end. But giving Bashir a full over was risky. That’s when he could have gone after him. He was outstanding throughout. He came in early—sixth over of the day—and remained unbeaten,” Kumble said.

“To double the score after being 82 for 7 with just Bumrah and Siraj is incredible. The other batters will be disappointed—they had chances. Also, those extras—32 in the first innings and almost 65 across both—will be a big point of discussion,” the former India captain said.

“This is a great advertisement for Test cricket. All three Tests have gone down to the wire, and both teams have fought brilliantly. Yes, the scoreline says 2-1 to England, but if you look at session-wise performances, it’s been even. India should feel confident heading into the next two Tests,” Kumble said.

“They’ve already bounced back from a loss in the first Test. This match came down to fine margins—like Pant’s run-out before lunch, the extras, and perhaps letting Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse score freely. Those key moments—India will need to grab them in the next game if they want to level the series,” he said.