It was a real Test match. India and England gave it their all during a thrilling five days of Test cricket at Lord's Cricket Ground, leaving spectators with nothing to grumble about. In the third Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Ben Stokes' England team scored a close victory of 22 runs, giving them a 2-1 advantage in the five-game series. At lunchtime, India was 112/8, but Ravindra Jadeja, supported by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, waged a brave battle that brought the visitors closer.

But as India appeared to be on the verge of defying the odds and defeating England, Mohammed Siraj was taken off guard by Shoaib Bashir's delivery, as the ball rolled back onto the stumps, leaving India's No. 11 batter devastated.

As Shoaib Bashir, who broke his finger in the first innings, guided the hosts to a win, the England team rejoiced. But Siraj was devastated. Joe Root and Zak Crawley of England were the first people to come up to the Indian pacer and offer words of encouragement and appreciation for his and Jadeja's tenacious performance.

After the game was over, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised Root and Crawley for setting aside their differences with the Indian side and demonstrating genuine sportsmanship. It has to be noted that the Lord's Test was tense the entire time, with both sides taking shots at one another.

“Siraj was approached by Zak Crawley and Joe Root upon his exit. For me, that was what cricket was all about. In essence, that is what Test cricket is all about. On his YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat', Ashwin stated that we occasionally become engrossed in the discussion around cricket, including the time-wasting strategies that are all a necessary element of the sport.

"It's vital to struggle in order to win the game. Nevertheless, you ought to be able to put aside your differences at the end of the day. The disagreement between Joe Root and Zak Crawley that had developed during the previous five days was resolved, he said.

"Joe Root is a gentleman"

Tempers began to flare between India and England on Day 3 when Shubman Gill told Zak Crawley to "grow some f*****g b***s." The England opener intentionally delayed play to prevent India from getting another over before the end of the match.

The sledging kept up for the last two days as both teams took shots at one another. But as the game called for it, the spirit of cricket was on full display, with both England and India recognizing the desire to win.

"Joe Root is such a gentleman," I said, adding, "I have been with him in the Rajasthan Royals camp. Ashwin said that he did well in this Test, made a fantastic catch, and surpassed Rahul Dravid's record.

After that, Ashwin also brought up India's close victory against Australia in the 2018 Adelaide Test and how, because they were swept up in the exhilaration of the win, the Virat Kohli-led team failed to keep an eye on the opposition.

“We had won a similar test at Adelaide Oval. Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon were among the partners. We were only celebrating when the final wicket fell; they needed 28–29 runs, according to Ashwin.

You are in the heat of the celebration, so we don't even recall the other side. However, for Crawley and Root to feel that Siraj is in pain, they should put an arm around his shoulder, which struck me as a notable moment.

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