India's hopes of saving the Lord's Test on Day 5 were severely dented in the first session as the English bowlers disrupted the Indian middle-order, picking up 4 wickets and giving away just 54 runs.
The visitors crumbled to 112 for 8 at the end of the first session, as England tightened their grip before the lunch interval.
India started the day at 58 for 4. With Rahul and Pant at the crease, India would have fancied their chances of pulling off a victory; however, the hopes were only short-lived as the English bowlers breathed fire, dominating the first session and reaching the brink of Lord's victory.
📲 Follow The Sporting News India on WhatsApp
Ravi Shastri, the former Indian head coach, was not very pleased with India's approach after losing a few wickets early on in the day.
Ravi Shastri questions India's poor tactics
Talking to Sky Sports post the first session, Shastri stated that India might have gone wrong tactically. The former India coach said, "I just thought tactically, they might have got it a little wrong. Once they spent a little time at the crease, the partnership was 15-20, Reddy or Jadeja should have looked to attack and try and put the pressure back on England."
"Tactically, they might have got it a little wrong!" 👀
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 14, 2025
Ravi Shastri thinks either Nitish Kumar Reddy or Ravindra Jadeja should have taken the attack to England once the partnership had settled 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/gCdXDUidVp
"They should have tried to bring the deficit down to 60, and from there on looked at 10 runs at a time, but England were just superb," added Shastri.
READ: Vaughan pokes fun at Jaffer after England's domination
India lost 3 quick wickets in the very first hour of Day 5. Jadeja and Reddy then came together and showed some fight with a 40-run stand; however, both the batters seemed ultra defensive in their approach and weren't keen to capitalise on scoring opportunities. Reddy was ultimately dismissed by Chris Woakes in the last over before lunch.
With India in complete disarray, England are on the brink of a series lead at the Home of Cricket. The only person who stands between England and Victory is Ravindra Jadeja, who would need a real miracle to pull out a victory from the jaws of defeat.