'Aage aa ja': Jasprit Bumrah's desperate plea to teammates falls on deaf ears as India fail to learn from their mistakes

Jasprit Bumrah warned India’s slip cordon to stand closer at Lord’s, but his plea went unheard as key chances were missed in the morning session

On his return to the playing XI for the Lord's Test against England, the well-rested Jasprit Bumrah straightaway induced an outside edge from opener Ben Duckett. However, it fell short of wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who dived low to his left. Bumrah immediately told Pant and the slip cordon to stand much closer, as there wasn't much carry. But the words fell on deaf ears, and India paid the price.

India's Jasprit Bumrah reacts during Lord's Test match against England (Action Images via Reuters)

"Aage aa ja, ball carry nahi kar raha hai, soft hai (Come forward, the ball is not carrying, it's soft)," Bumrah's words were caught on the stump mic right after the fourth ball of the opening innings in London, when India created an early opportunity to rattle England.

However, the slip cordon did not pay heed to those words and India paid the price of missed opportunities through the first morning of the third Test match, the most significant of those being in the 14th over, when captain Shubman Gill dropped Ollie Pope at gully. He made a full-length dive to his right after Pope edged the fuller delivery from Nitish Kumar Reddy, but only managed to palm it down to the ground.

Pope survived for the second time in three deliveries after he edged the fuller one from Mohammed Siraj at the start of the next over, but the ball fell just short of KL Rahul at second slip.

England would have been three down at the stroke of lunch had India learned from their mistakes. But nonetheless, the tourists were the happy side at the end of the first session at Lord's after Nitish picked up two wickets in one over, dismissing Duckett and Zak Crawley as England stood at 83 for two at Lunch. Joe Root was 24 not out and Pope unbeaten on 12 at the interval.

The England openers were courageous against India's relentless pace attack in the opening hour, but it was the change of bowling after the drinks break that worked for the visitors. Nitish struck in his first over when Duckett fell for 23, playing a loose stroke to a ball down the leg side and feathering a catch to Pant, before he squared Crawley up with a ball that moved away and he edged it to the wicketkeeper to depart for 18.

India made just one change for the match - Bumrah in for Prasidh Krishna. England, who lost the second Test in Birmingham last week, with a hope to reclaim a lead in the series, recalled fast bowler Jofra Archer for his first test appearance in more than four years in place of Josh Tongue.