Former England's star speedster Steve Harmison believes that India would have ended up notching up a win in the third Test match at Lord's if Virat Kohli had been part of the playing eleven. India faced a narrow and disappointing 22-run defeat in that game, failing to chase down a target of 193 runs and ultimately being bowled out for a mere 221.
Recently, Steve Harmison analysed India's performance throughout the series so far, noting that despite dominating significant portions of the three Test matches played, England managed to clinch victories in two of them, thereby taking the lead in the series. The former fast bowler emphasized the importance of India maintaining their self-belief and asserted that Virat Kohli's presence could have been the deciding factor in securing a win for India in the fourth innings.
"India has scored more hundreds, more top-order runs, and more new ball wickets, but England has got a knack of finding a way to win. Finding a way of creating an event throughout a session to change the course of the game. For me, India has to start believing. This is where the likes of Virat Kohli were unbelievable. In a fourth innings chase, he goes and wins the game comfortably. He would have won that game comfortably at Lord's," Harmison said in ESPNcricinfo Match Day.
Notably, Kohli holds a commendable record in fourth innings situations, having scored 1102 runs in 32 innings at an average of 42.38, including two centuries and seven half-centuries. One of his most memorable fourth-innings performances was against Australia in Adelaide in 2014, where he played a magnificent innings of 141 runs off 175 balls. However, despite his heroic effort, India unfortunately lost the match by 48 runs.
Following their loss at Lord's, India now trails England by 1-2 in the five-match series and is eager to make a strong comeback in the fourth Test, which is scheduled to commence on July 23rd at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester. Consequently, the Indian side, led by Shubman Gill, will be highly motivated to bounce back and keep the series alive in the upcoming fixture.