After a hard-fought batting effort, India ffinally succumbed to the pressure against England in the Lord's Test and feel 22 runs short of what would have been an incredible victory. After the Men in Blue had been restricted to 112/8 at one stage while chasing down the target of 193, Ravindra Jadeja alongside tailenders Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj tried their level-best to get the visitors over the finish line, however they eventually failed to do so as the side got bundled out for 170 runs.
Both Root and Crawley went over to console Siraj
Siraj, who was the final Indian batter to lose his wicket, was left distraught by his dismissal. However, England's Joe Root quickly went over to console him and was soon joined by Zak Crawley. This gesture from Root and Crawley certainly won a lot of hearts and once again showcased why cricket is known as a gentleman's game.
Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin was among the people who were left impressed with Root and Crawley's act for Siraj and he showered praise on the England duo for shaking off any differences that they had with the Indian team with their heartfelt gesture.
“When Siraj got out, Zak Crawley and Joe Root came to him. That defined cricket for me. That essentially is what Test cricket is. Sometimes we get caught in the spirit of cricket debate, like the time wasting tactics, yesterday Akash Deep was wasting time, all that is part and parcel of the game,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“To win the game, it is important to fight. But at the end of the day, you should be able to shake off the differences. Joe Root and Zak Crawley shook off the differences that happened over the last five days. I have been with Joe Root in the Rajasthan Royals camp, and he is such a gentleman. He performed well in this Test, took an amazing catch and broke Rahul Dravid's record," he added.
Meanwhile, the victory at Lord's saw England take a valuable 2-1 lead in the series against India. The fourth match at Old Trafford will now be crucial for Shubman Gill & Co. as if they suffer a defeat there as well, then the Three Lions will seal the series before even playing the fifth and final match. The fourth Test in Manchester is set to commence from July 23.