London [UK], July 13: Former England batter Jonathan Trott has criticized England’s top-order batting approach following a dominant opening session by India on Day 4 of the third Test at Lord’s. Trott described the dismissals as the result of “loose strokes” and emphasized the importance of the partnership between Joe Root and Ben Stokes in the second innings.
India’s seamers, led by Mohammed Siraj, left England reeling at 98/4 by Lunch. Siraj picked up two crucial wickets early in the day, removing Ben Duckett (12) and Ollie Pope (4), while Zak Crawley (22) and Harry Brook (23) also fell cheaply.
Speaking on ‘Match Centre Live’, JioStar expert Jonathan Trott said, “I am not sure England will fully know where they stand right now. They will want to see how the ball behaves from overs 30 to 50 — how the pitch responds as the ball ages. The Root-Stokes partnership is key. But England will feel they let themselves down. On this pitch, you’ve got to tighten your scoring zones and be more watchful. Three of the dismissals came from loose strokes — playing shots to balls that just were not there.”
England resumed Day 4 at 2/0, but early breakthroughs from India shifted momentum swiftly. Nitish Kumar Reddy dismissed Crawley for 22, and debutant Akash Deep cleaned up Brook with a sharp delivery, earning his maiden Test wicket.
India had earlier matched England’s first-innings total of 387, thanks to KL Rahul’s century and Ravindra Jadeja’s gritty 72. England’s initial innings had been powered by Joe Root’s 104 and valuable lower-order contributions from Brydon Carse and Jamie Smith.
At the end of the first session on Day 4, Joe Root (17*) and Ben Stokes (2*) were unbeaten at the crease, facing a challenging task ahead.
Brief Scores:
England: 387 & 98/4 (Zak Crawley 22, Harry Brook 23; Mohammed Siraj 2/11)
India: 387 (KL Rahul 100, Rishabh Pant 74; Chris Woakes 3/84)