London [UK], July 15 : Former India wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik and ex-England skipper Nasser Hussain handpicked their moments that played a defining role in dictating the outcome of a palpitating third Test at Lord's.
Momentum oscillated in favour of both sides, but England stole away the key moments to bask in a 22-run triumph at Lord's. A stubborn India misfired in their attempts to gun down a 193-run target despite Ravindra Jadeja's late resistance act with tail-enders Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
Karthik doesn't feel that the entire Test should be judged on the events that unfolded on the final day. He dissected the first innings and emphasised India's "mini-collapse" from 376/6 to being down and out on 387, the exact total that England posted.
Apart from the batting blunder, KL Rahul misjudged a catch at the slips cordon and allowed Jamie Smith a second life by dropping him on five. The young prodigy tantalised India by adding 46 more runs before being dismissed by Siraj on 51.
"If you are going to judge the match based on what happened today, I think you are looking at the wrong side. You have got to look at 376-6 in the first innings to 387 all out. Again a bit of a mini-collapse. The catch that KL Rahul dropped, Jamie Smith on five," Karthik said on Sky Sports.
"How much do those things matter to you? Those are the conversations you need to have. There were moments India could have gone ahead and couldn't for the third time this series," he added.
For Hussain, England captain Ben Stokes' precise throw to get India vice-captain Rishabh Pant run out on 74, moments before lunch on the third day, changed the complexion of the entire game.
"When you look back, that Rishabh Pant run out in India's first innings will be absolutely vital to this game. With the ball, in the field, with the bat, Stokes is never out of the game!" Hussain said.
In the opening hour of the final day, Stokes and tearaway Jofra Archer reduced India to 82/7. Jadeja gave England a run for their money with his unbeaten 61, but his efforts went in vain after Shoaib Bashir's ball spun enough to rattle Siraj's stumps, leaving the experienced speedster heartbroken on his knees and being consoled by England players.
"This will be a tough one for India to take. If we had those pie charts up about who has won sessions in this series, they have won so many sessions. They have played so much good cricket. But they are 2-1 down because of the key moments - little collapses, dropped catches, Pant's run out here at Lord's. India need a break. If we had back-to-back Test matches, this would he hard for them," Hussain added.