Ravindra Jadeja stole the spotlight after he turned up the drama late on the first day’s play of the third Test between England and India at Lord’s. As Joe Root stood just one run away from a brilliant century, Jadeja taunted him with a cheeky gesture that left the crowd stunned and amused.
Root, batting confidently on 99, looked set to complete his 37th Test hundred with a routine second run in the final over of the day. England fans rose from their seats and were anticipating celebration from the veteran. But just then, Ben Stokes, standing at the non-striker’s end, shouted “No!” and stopped Root mid-run. Ravindra Jadeja had already picked up the ball at backward point, and what happened next was something nobody anticipated.
Ravindra Jadeja pulls off an unexpected stunt to tease Joe Root; Lord’s crowd boo him
Instead of throwing it back, he casually dropped the ball to the ground in front of Root. It was a playful dare, and it was like Jadeja was saying, “Go on, take the run if you can.”
Watch the video below:
Jadeja & Root playing nice… for now 😄#SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings pic.twitter.com/GaOW0nQBz7
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 10, 2025
Root saw the humour and smiled but wisely stayed put. The crowd at Lord’s, however, didn’t appreciate the tease. Loud boos echoed across the stadium because of Jadeja’s stunt. Despite the moment, the incident added a lighthearted twist to a gripping final session.
Root now needs just one more century to overtake Steve Smith as the active player with the most Test hundreds. He also edges closer to another major record; he is only 77 runs behind Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid on the all-time Test run-scorers list.
Earlier in the day, England won the toss and chose to bat first at Lord’s under clear skies. Shubman Gill-led Indian team made early inroads thanks to Nitish Kumar Reddy, who claimed two quick wickets. He removed Ben Duckett for 23 and then dismissed Zak Crawley for 18, leaving England at 44 for 2.
Joe Root and Ollie Pope show resistance on Day 1
But then, Joe Root and Ollie Pope came together to steady the ship and took the game away from the visitors. The duo added a crucial 109-run liaison for the third wicket. Root, playing with his trademark calm, rotated the strike efficiently. Pope, too, looked solid, driving and cutting with confidence.
Just when Pope looked set for a fifty, Ravindra Jadeja broke the stand by getting him out for 44 by pitching in with a flighted ball one outside off. The right-hander attempted to drive the ball towards the covers before his bat found the edge, and Dhruv Jurel, who came in as a substitute wicketkeeper, took the catch in his safe pair of gloves.
Also watch: Dhruv Jurel Takes Over Wicketkeeping Duties as Rishabh Pant Walks Off Injured in Lord’s Test
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Harry Brook for 11. But once again, Root took control. He found another able partner in Ben Stokes, and the two put on an unbeaten 79-run partnership to close the day. Stokes batted patiently and reached 39* off 102 balls, despite clearly struggling with a slight injury. He limped at times but showed grit and resilience.
In a historic moment at Lord’s, Joe Root etched his name into the record books yet again. The former England skipper became the first cricketer in the history of Test cricket to score over 3000 runs against Team India. Root reached the landmark during the third Test of the ongoing five-match series, needing just 45 runs at the start of the innings. With calmness and class, he got there in style, adding another feather to his already illustrious cap.
India’s playing XI:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
England’s playing XI:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir
