All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s lone-warrior effort at Lord’s may have gone in vain, but he etched his name into the record books by completing 7,000 international runs, joining elite Indian cricketers like Rishabh Pant, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
Jadeja’s consistency with the bat was once again on display as he scored twin fifties at the iconic venue, although he couldn’t break into his trademark sword celebration as India fell short by 22 runs in what could have been a historic away win.
With his half-century in the second innings, Jadeja became the latest Indian to surpass 7,000 international runs. In 361 appearances, he has scored 7,018 runs at an average of 33.41, with four centuries and 39 fifties in 302 innings, including a top score of *175.
In 83 Test matches, Jadeja has amassed 3,697 runs at an average of 36.97, with four centuries and 26 fifties. His performance in the current series has been stellar—327 runs in six innings at an average of 109.00, with four fifties and a highest score of 89, making him the fifth-highest run-scorer in the series so far.
Jadeja now joins the ranks of Rishabh Pant (five 50+ scores between 2021–25) and Sourav Ganguly (four in 2002) as the third Indian with four or more consecutive 50+ scores in England. Alongside the legendary Vinoo Mankad (72 and 184 in 1952), he’s also the only Indian with fifty-plus scores in both innings at Lord’s.
He further joins the rare club of MAK Pataudi, MS Dhoni, and others with multiple twin fifty-plus scores in SENA Tests (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) while batting at number six or lower.
Jadeja also surpassed VVS Laxman’s record (28), securing his 29th fifty-plus score while batting at No. 6 or below for India—now third on the list after Kapil Dev (35) and MS Dhoni (38).
🏏 Match Summary:
- England chose to bat and posted 387 runs, led by Joe Root’s 104 and counter-attacks from Brydon Carse (56) and Jamie Smith (51). Jasprit Bumrah was the standout for India with a five-wicket haul (5/74).
- In response, India matched England’s total of 387. KL Rahul (100), Rishabh Pant (74), and Jadeja (72) starred, with support from Nitish Kumar Reddy (30) and Washington Sundar (23). Chris Woakes led England’s bowling with 3/84.
- In England’s second innings, Washington Sundar (4/22) spun a web around the middle order, restricting them to 192. Only Root (40) and Stokes (33) offered some resistance.
- India needed 193 to win, but a collapse to 82/7 left them in trouble. Jadeja stood firm with a gritty 61 off 181 balls*, but India was bowled out for 170, just 22 runs short. Mohammed Siraj’s unfortunate dismissal—where the ball bounced back off the pitch onto his stumps—ended India’s hopes.
England now leads the series 2-1. Ben Stokes was named Player of the Match for his all-round performance—scoring 44 and 33, and taking five wickets, including a key 3-wicket burst in the second innings alongside Jofra Archer, who also claimed three scalps.