Rohan Chowdhury in London
While KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant held fort in the middle during the first hour of play on Day 3 of the third Test between England and India at Lord’s, another scene unfolded quietly on the adjacent Nursery Ground of the iconic venue.
India captain Shubman Gill and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal took to the nets for a focused training session. Taking throwdowns and going through specific drills, the two in-form batters seemed to be working through the disappointments of their brief outings in the first innings.
Both had been brilliant in the first two Tests, but the Lord’s chapter hasn’t quite gone their way with the bat. Jaiswal fell for 13, undone by a sharp Jofra Archer delivery that shaped away and took the edge — pouched safely at second slip by Harry Brook. Gill, on the other hand, was dismissed for 16, falling to England’s persistent tactic of targeting him outside off. Chris Woakes angled one in with a wobbly seam, drawing the edge that Jamie Smith collected behind the stumps.
The duo appeared determined in the nets — grinding away, fine-tuning, and staying mentally in the contest. And as their session wrapped up, a spontaneous moment of warmth followed.
Dozens of fans, braving the blistering sun, gathered by the chains marking the boundary, hoping for a fleeting moment with the stars. Usually, players maintain tunnel vision during match day mornings — focused, unapproachable, locked into the rhythm of the game — when they enter the stadium. Fans do gather at the gates hoping to catch a glimpse of their stars, but they don’t get a chance usually. Today was different.
Gill and Jaiswal paused. They smiled. They signed autographs — on caps, bats, jerseys, even phones. They posed for selfies, took the time to greet both Indian and English fans, young and old, offering memories far beyond the scorecards.
And then, without fuss, they quietly slipped back into the main stadium — perhaps still replaying those dismissals in their minds, perhaps already scripting a comeback in the second innings.
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