From failing to defend a target of 371 in Leeds to not being able to chase down 193 at Lord's, Shubman Gill-led India missed the golden opportunities to dominate England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes that with a little big of lunch going their way, the visitors would have already taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series heading to Manchester. However, now they are trailing in the series with two defeats.
"It (the Lord's Test) reminded me so much of the Test match in 2021 (at the Lord's when Shastri was the head coach). Only on that occasion, it was India who batted first. Scores were very similar, 300, 300 and then a collapse in the second innings. At that time, India won," Shastri said on the ICC review.
"But a fascinating series and two more to go. Anything can happen. India can bounce back straight away and if that happens, The Oval (final Test) will be a thriller," he noted.
"Fifteen days in the series, it's been riveting stuff. And at times, I think India could have been 3-0 up. A little bit of luck, India could have been 3-0 up."
Shastri lauds Stokes' 'presence of mind'
Shastri also pointed out two turning points in the Lord's Test. The first was Rishabh Pant's run out at the stroke of lunch on Day 3. The second was Karun Nair's wicket late into the last session on Day 4.
He lauded Ben Stokes for the direct hit to catch Pant short of the crease.
"The turning point for me in this Test match was, first of all, Rishabh Pant's dismissal (in the first innings)," Shastri said.
"Ben Stokes…simply outstanding presence of mind to hit at the right end and pull it off on the stroke of lunch. Because India would have got a lead and they were in the driver's seat," he added.
Shastri slams Nair
The former India all-rounder feels Nair missing a straight delivery was a major faux pas. He said that surviving the new ball spell would have made a difference, especially watching how tailenders Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj battled it out in the middle.
"Having said that, again at 40/1 (in the second innings), I thought that was a huge lapse in concentration from Karun Nair to leave a straight ball, a nothing ball, to leave it and open the door for England. I thought that the timing of that dismissal turned things around," the 63-year-old said.
"Because you saw when Siraj batted, when Bumrah batted, when Jadeja was batting, once the ball was 40 overs old, they hardly put a foot wrong.
"They were solid in defence and to bring that target down at lunch, 82 to get, you thought in the next 10 minutes it would be done and dusted. But to bring that 82 or 83 to 22 was a massive achievement.
"So, it just goes to show that (if) the top order had just been a little tougher and mentally stronger on Day 4, towards the end, this game would have been India's," he further added.
Now, Gill-led side will need to do what no touring Indian team has done in England. India have never won a Test at The Old Trafford, Manchester, the venue for fourth Test of the series.