Despite suffering a loss by 22 runs in the third Test match against England, former Team India batsman Dinesh Karthik hailed Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj for their stunning efforts at the end.
On Day 5 at Lord`s Cricket Ground, Bumrah played 54 runs and accumulated just five runs, including a boundary. On the other hand, Siraj faced 30 deliveries and scored just four runs. The duo shared crucial partnerships with Ravindra Jadeja during their time at the crease.
“I really enjoyed Ravindra Jadeja at the end. He was running out of partners, but still had the mental resilience to keep going over and over. The attitude of Bumrah and Siraj is also one to learn from for all of Indian cricket, really,” Karthik told SkySports.
“They did not give up; they wanted to make a match out of it. They just kept doing everything to stay in the game,” he said.
Karthik also highlighted the `mini collapse` India suffered in the first innings.
“If you`re going to judge the match based on what happened today, I think you`re looking at it from the wrong side. You`ve got to look at 376/6 in the first innings to 387 all out. Yet again, a bit of a mini-collapse,” said the 40-year-old.
“The catch that KL Rahul dropped Jamie Smith on five in the first innings. The fact that you`ve conceded 63 extras across two innings. How much do those things matter to you? Those are the conversations that you need to have. Not the shots that you played today or the way the tail-enders really showed grit and determination,” added the former cricketer.
Karthik also feels that there were a few moments during the Lord`s clash in which India could have taken control.
“It`s across five days. There were moments in the game when you could have definitely gone ahead. India didn`t do it, probably for the third time now in this series. But when they`ve really used their brains and just stuck it out there, like they did in Edgbaston, they found a way to get ahead and dominate a Test match,” concluded Karthik, who has played 26 Test matches.
In the final innings of the match, Team India`s star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja fought hard by smashing an unbeaten 61 runs, but fell short to take his team home. The visitors suffered a loss by 22 runs. Currently, in the five-match Test series, the hosts have a lead of 2-1.
(With IANS Inputs)
