India was just shy of the mark. Ultimately, they fell short by 22 runs, giving England a 2-1 advantage in the five-game series for the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy. A Test cricket enthusiast cannot ask for anything more. India's lower order, which has been scrutinized for all the incorrect reasons in recent times, demonstrated stomach for a battle, moving from 112/8 when all expectations and convictions were shattered. India was able to narrow the gap of the defeat thanks to Mohammad Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja. Of course, one perspective would state that India successfully captured a simple chase, which is true, but don't let that overshadow the attitude displayed by India's 9, 10, and 11 batsmen, as well as the one and only Jadeja.

Jadeja's 30 runs with Nitish Reddy, 35 runs with Jasprit Bumrah, and additional 23 runs with Siraj brought them close but not quite enough, as India was defeated for 170. Although Jadeja batted well with the tail, there was also a significant "what if" surrounding his innings. Was he able to cultivate the strike with his partners more? Might he have been a bit more focused and set some limits? Ravi Shastri, the former head coach of India, spoke out against Jadeja's style, repeatedly stating that he wanted to see the India all-rounder let loose. When asked whether there was anything that Jadeja might have done differently, India captain Shubman Gill responded frankly.

He (Jadeja) is really experienced; I didn't want to convey any message to him. At the post-match awards presentation, Gill stated, "I thought he was batting really well with the tail and I just wanted him and the tailenders to bat as long as possible."

Shubman Gill, extremely pleased with India's battle

The fact that India battled so hard to influence the outcome in its favor would cheer Gill up. They could have given up or played for a draw with seven wickets down in the first hundred. However, Bumrah, Jadeja, Nitish Reddy, and Siraj persisted, eventually reducing the number of runs needed to win. 90 to 70, 70 to 30, 30 to even below 20, if you will. Who knows, if that ball hadn't trickled onto the stumps after hitting Siraj's bat, India may have pulled off arguably their best heist, perhaps even outperforming Gabba. Gill was very pleased with the effort since what may have turned out to be a modest surrender turned into a legendary struggle in just three hours. Given the current form of India's top order, he would have surely anticipated much more, but the law of averages is real.

"Very proud." We were thinking that if we could gain a lead of 80–100 runs, it might be essential for us, as we knew that chasing 150–200 on this wicket on the fifth day may not be all that simple. If we could achieve a lead of 80 runs, we reasoned, we would be in a strong position. In my opinion, we could have put a little more effort into the last hour of yesterday, particularly the last two wickets that fell. The India captain continued, "Even this morning, the way they came out with the plans, we were hoping for one 50-run partnership, and if we had gotten one 50-run partnership in the top order, then things would have been easier for us."

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