India captain Shubman Gill believes one good batting partnership could have won them the close Lord’s Test match against England. After losing by just 22 runs, Gill said his team fought hard but missed that one important stand. “This was the closest Test match possible,” Gill said. “I’m proud of how we fought till the end. Just one 50-run partnership would have changed the result.”
Chasing 193 to win, India got bowled out for 170 on the final day. Ravindra Jadeja batted bravely, scoring 61 not out. He got help from tailenders Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Gill said he didn’t send any messages to Jadeja because the all-rounder knew what to do. “Jadeja has played enough cricket. I just wanted him to stay as long as possible with our last batsmen,” Gill explained.
Gill pointed to key moments that hurt India. Rishabh Pant’s runout in the first innings was crucial. “That changed the game,” Gill said. “We wanted a 50-60 run lead. Chasing 150-200 here was always tough.” England fought back strongly after being 44/2, thanks to Joe Root’s 104. Root’s century – his 37th in Tests and 11th against India – helped England reach 387. Bumrah took 5 wickets, breaking Kapil Dev’s overseas record.
India matched England’s 387 with good batting. KL Rahul made 100, Pant scored 74 and Jadeja hit 72. Rahul and Pant put on 141 runs together – their third century stand in England, an Indian record. But Day 4 saw India collapse to 58/4. On Day 5, England’s bowlers kept taking wickets. Archer and Stokes were especially dangerous. By lunch, India were 112/8. Jadeja and Bumrah gave hope with their fighting partnership, but Bashir eventually bowled Siraj to win the game.
“We needed to bat smarter,” Gill admitted. “In the last hour yesterday and this morning, we lost too many wickets. One more good partnership would have helped.” Despite the loss, Gill stayed positive. “The scoreline doesn’t always show how well you’ve played. We’ll come back stronger,” he said. When asked about Bumrah’s fitness for the next Test, Gill smiled and said, “Wait and see.”
With two Tests left, India now travel to Old Trafford looking to level the series. They know that finding that one big partnership could make all the difference next time. The team believes they can bounce back if they bat better in key moments.