The third Test between India and England at Lord’s turned into a heated battle, not only with the ball and bat but also through intense on-field conversations. While India started Day 5 at 58/4 needing 135 runs with six wickets in hand, but then India faced an uphill battle on the tricky pitch of Lord’s first with the uneven bounces and later with the player sledging battles.
With early dismissals of Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Washington Sundar, the visitors looked in deep trouble. It was then that Nitish Kumar Reddy walked out to bat at No.9, joining Ravindra Jadeja in a one-handed chase. But as soon as he started on the field, a battle of words started from English players continuing what followed on the previous day of the Test, which led to heated words between Indian Captain Gill and England opener over time-wasting tactics. This time it was Harry Brook who started it with Nitish Kumar Reddy calling him out.
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Who do you think you are?” Harry Brook Sledges Nitish Kumar Reddy
Standing at Slip, Brook started a brutal sledding attack on Reddy. In the 30th over, he was caught saying, “Who do you think you are? I remember when we were with the Sunrisers, you didn’t say anything there.” He further said “Jaddu needs to score all the runs. This is not IPL.” This was not just a personal attack on Reddy but also aimed to break his concentration in the game.
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After Brook, Ben Stokes also joined him, confronting Reddy with a few more verbal exchanges. Meanwhile, Jofra Archer kept the pressure high with aggressive bouncers and a few sharp words after beating Reddy with pace. Despite showing some resistance, including some tough cover drives off Stokes, Reddy fell right before lunch for 13 runs, edging Chris Woakes’ delivery to the keeper. His wicket left India struggling at 112 for 8, still 81 runs away from victory.
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Ultimately, England sealed a thrilling win by just 22 runs, taking a crucial lead in the series. Stokes was named player of the match for his all-round contributions, including a fifer and crucial runs.
