In a light-hearted yet telling moment at the close of Day 1 of the third Test between India and England at Lord’s, Joe Root and Ravindra Jadeja engaged in a bit of friendly banter that had fans smiling. The moment unfolded on the fourth ball of the final over, as Root played a back-foot punch off Akash Deep towards deep backwards point, where Jadeja was stationed.
Root, who had just moved to 99, was momentarily tempted to take a second run that would have brought up his 37th Test century. Sensing the opportunity for some fun, Jadeja mockingly gestured an invitation, pretending to fumble before unleashing his trademark rocket arm. Root wisely resisted the urge and instead broke into a grin, staying rooted at the non-striker’s end as the stumps were drawn with him one short of a memorable hundred.
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England ended the day on a solid 251 for four after 83 overs, with Root unbeaten on 99 and skipper Ben Stokes providing support with a steady 39 off 102 balls. Jadeja, ever the livewire, was economical and practical with the ball. His 10 overs went for just 26 runs, and he delivered the crucial breakthrough post-tea by dismissing the dangerous Harry Brook for 11.
Rule #1: Never risk it with @imjadeja 😶
Rule #2: If you forget Rule #1 👀#ENGvIND 👉 3rd TEST Day 2 FRI, JULY 11, 2:30 PM streaming on JioHotstar! pic.twitter.com/6chobVFsBL— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 10, 2025
The morning, however, belonged to India’s young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. Introduced as the fourth seamer, Reddy made an immediate impact by removing both openers—Ben Duckett (23) and Zak Crawley (18)—in the same over, giving India early momentum.
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Ollie Pope chipped in with a fluent 44 and shared a valuable partnership with Root, but Jadeja’s clever bowling broke that stand just as it was flourishing. With Root eyeing a century and England in a competitive position, Day 2 promises to offer more quality Test cricket at the iconic Lord’s.
