India’s rising all-rounder Nitish Reddy turned the tide on Day 1 of the third Test at Lord’s with a sensational over that removed both England openers in quick succession. Introduced as India’s fourth seamer in the morning session, Reddy delivered a double breakthrough that silenced the home crowd and gave India early momentum.
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett had started confidently for the hosts, negotiating the new ball with composure. But Reddy broke the rhythm, first inducing an edge off Duckett, which was safely pouched by Rishabh Pant behind the stumps. Just three balls later, Crawley followed the same path, nicking one to Pant as well. In the blink of an eye, England slipped from a strong position to 49 for 2, with Joe Root and Ollie Pope left to steady the innings.
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Earlier, England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bat first under overcast skies. The hosts made key changes, most notably bringing back Jofra Archer for his long-awaited return to Test cricket. India also made a significant inclusion, with pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah returning in place of Prasidh Krishna after sitting out the Edgbaston Test for workload management.
Nitish Kumar Reddy sends England’s openers packing 💥#SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings pic.twitter.com/1L6fWYd126
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 10, 2025
India captain Shubman Gill admitted he wasn’t too disappointed to lose the toss, hinting that bowling first might have been his choice anyway. “I was confused till this morning. I would’ve bowled first. There’s always something for the bowlers early on at Lord’s,” Gill said at the toss. “The team’s feeling confident. It wasn’t easy picking 20 wickets on that Edgbaston pitch, but everyone contributed.”
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With early wickets in hand and Bumrah back in the attack, India will be looking to keep the pressure on England and make the most of a helpful Lord’s surface.
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir
