The Prague Post - Jadeja keeps India's hopes alive against England in third Test thriller

India were 163-9 at tea on the final day -- one wicket away from defeat but needing just 30 more runs to reach a victory target of 193 that would put them 2-1 up in this five-match series.

Jadeja was 56 not out, his fourth consecutive fifty of the series, with last man Mohammed Siraj two not out.

India were all but beaten at 112-8 when tailender Jasprit Bumrah joined Jadeja in the middle immediately after lunch.

But the pair kept England at bay with a stubborn stand of 35 in 22 overs.

Bumrah, defying a run of four successive noughts in Test cricket, defended gamely while making five in 54 balls only for his innings to end when he top-edged a pull off Stokes to substitute fielder Sam Cook at mid-on.

England were now on the brink of victory, with India 147-9 -- a position that meant tea was delayed by 30 minutes.

But Jadeja, who overturned an lbw decision given against him on 26, went to fifty when a flashing cut off England captain Ben Stokes flew over the slips for the left-hander's fourth four in 150 balls faced.

Stokes, whose career has been blighted by knee trouble, bowled two lengthy spells Monday on his way to interval figures of 3-48 in 24 overs.

And fast bowler Jofra Archer, in his first Test after more than four years of injury-induced exile had 3-52 in 14.

This match became a second-innings shoot-out after both teams made 387 in their first innings.

England then made 192 before India slumped to 58-4 when Stokes bowled nightwatchman Akash Deep with what became the last ball of Sunday's play.

- Bumrah resistance -

From 71-4 on Monday, the match swung England's way once more as India lost three wickets for 11 runs in collapsing to 82-7.

And when Nitish Kumar Reddy was caught behind off veteran paceman Chris Woakes to force an early lunch, India were 112-8.

Bumrah, the world's top-ranked Test bowler, took 5-74 in England's first innings after being rested from India's dominant 336-run win at Edgbaston that levelled the series.

But in 46 Tests before this match he averaged a mere 6.77 with the bat.

Nevertheless, Bumrah got off the mark on Monday with an impressive pulled four off Archer through a vacant midwicket.

England thought Jadeja was out for 26 when he was adjudged to be lbw to Woakes. But the batsman's review indicated that impact had been made marginally outside off stump and the decision was overturned.

Next ball, Jadeja launched Woakes for a huge six over midwicket.

Stokes introduced part-time off-spinner Joe Root in a bid to break the stubborn stand before frontline spinner Shoaib Bashir, who had been off the field with a finger injury, came on to bowl.

Earlier, Rishabh Pant -- who only came into bat on Monday following Deep's departure -- charged down the pitch to drive Archer for a typically aggressive four.

But two balls later Archer, repeatedly topping the 90 mph mark, bowled the India dangerman for nine with a superb full-length delivery that clipped the top of off stump.

India were looking to KL Rahul to anchor their chase following his first-innings hundred.

But the opener had added just six runs to his overnight 33 when he was lbw on review to lively medium-pacer Stokes after getting too far across his stumps.

The 30-year-old Archer, who starred in England's 2019 World Cup final win at Lord's and made his Test debut at the northwest London ground that same season, then made his presence felt again.

India's 81-6 became 82-7 when Archer held a sharp one-handed caught and bowled chance off a checked drive from Washington Sundar to dismiss the all-rounder for a duck -- a wicket greeted with raucous cheers by a large last-day crowd at Lord's.

U.Pospisil--TPP