A moment of brilliance from Ben Stokes turned the tide just before the lunch break on Day 3 of the 3rd Test at Lord’s, as Rishabh Pant was run out for 74 in a dramatic finish to the session. At lunch, India stood at 248/4 in 65.3 overs, trailing England’s 387 by 139 runs.
Pant’s dismissal came off the last ball before lunch after a mix-up with KL Rahul, who remained unbeaten on 98 off 171 balls. Pant had defended a flighted delivery from Shoaib Bashir and hesitated as Rahul called him for a run. Stokes swooped in from cover, picked up the ball cleanly, and executed a sharp direct hit at the non-striker’s end to catch Pant short.
The 141-run partnership between Pant and Rahul had revived India’s innings after early setbacks. Pant’s 74 off 112 deliveries featured 8 fours and 2 sixes, and his exit has left India with 6 wickets in hand and a mountain to climb.
This dismissal gave England a much-needed breakthrough and injected energy into their camp going into the second session.
