London, July 19: India’s pursuit of a seemingly paltry 193-run target went off the rails, courtesy of tearaway Jofra Archer and captain Ben Stokes’ elongated spells. In the final hour of the penultimate day, an inspired performance from England’s quicks left India reeling at 58/4.In the opening hour of the fifth day, Stokes and Archer ran rampant and ripped apart India’s middle order to leave the beleaguered tourists at 112/8. Jadeja, along with tailenders Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, batted their hearts out, but fell marginally short on the final day.
After spending 22 overs at the crease, Bumrah gave in to his instincts and miscued a shot to Sam Cook, forcing Jadeja to conjure a win with just a solitary wicket in hand. Words escaped Siraj as he slumped to his knees with his head hidden, trying to fathom that he had been clean bowled by Shoaib Bashir. Jadeja, with a look of disbelief, returned unbeaten on 61(181).
A couple of days after the defeat, the BCCI posted a video on Friday, revealing Gambhir’s message to Jadeja in the aftermath of a bitter 22-run defeat at the ‘Home of Cricket’.
“That was an incredible fight. The fight from Jaddu, that was absolutely brilliant,” Gambhir told Jadeja after India’s defeat propelled England to a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
Siraj, who fought for 13.2 overs with Jadeja, believes it is hard to find a player with a repertoire like the 36-year-old and said, “As a team, as a player, Jaddu bhai is extraordinary in the fielding, in bowling, in batting, he has improved in everything.”
“He makes runs in every important situation for the team. It is difficult to find a player like him for our team. We are lucky to have such a player in our team,” he concluded.