"That shift changed the momentum" - Former India all-rounder slams India for asking for a ball change on Day 2 of ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes the visitors let slip two vital moments on Day 2 (Friday, July 11) that could have shifted the momentum in the third Test against England at Lord’s. In a video on his YouTube channel @officialIrfanPathan, the 40-year-old pointed to KL Rahul’s dropped catch of Jamie Smith when he was on just five.

Smith made the most of the reprieve, scoring 51 and sharing an 84-run stand with Brydon Carse (56), as England put up 387 in their first innings.

“I felt there were two moments where India missed the opportunity to seize and seal the game. The biggest moment was when KL Rahul dropped the catch of Jamie Smith. Smith was only on five runs at the time. He went on to score a half-century and, along with the other batter Brydon Carse, built a solid partnership. That partnership was exceptional. It wouldn't have happened if that catch had been taken,” Pathan said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator also criticised the Indian team for requesting a ball change despite picking up three wickets in as many overs. Pathan felt the change was unnecessary, even if the ball was out of shape, and believed it disrupted the momentum in India’s favour.

Pathan remarked:

“And after that, why was the ball changed? You had already taken three wickets early in the morning. There was no need to change the ball that was doing the trick. Even if the shape had gone off — it doesn’t matter. There was no need to change the game. I can tell you as a bowler: we only think of changing the ball when it stops doing anything. If the ball is moving and even if its shape has changed, and you’ve got wickets — not one, not two, but three wickets — then why are you changing the ball?” “I think that shift changed the momentum significantly. And until the new ball was changed again — because it was already 10 overs old — you realised that the replaced ball wasn’t that new, it was quite old. Then you started focusing on that again, your concentration went there, Shubman Gill kept discussing it with the umpire. But the real question is: why did you go to change the game in the first place? So, I think those were the two important factors where the game turned,” he added.

Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah once again led the charge for the visitors, finishing with impressive figures of five for 74 in his 27-over spell.

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“He has the technique” - Irfan Pathan on India’s key player for Day 3 of the Lord’s Test

In response to England’s first-innings total of 387, India reached 145/3 at stumps on Day 2 after 43 overs, with KL Rahul (53) and Rishabh Pant (19) unbeaten at the crease. Speaking in the video mentioned above, Irfan Pathan praised Rahul’s performance, noting that he has looked in fine touch and will be crucial for India in the remainder of the innings. He said:

“KL Rahul will be crucial because he has the technique — he leaves the ball well and plays with patience. And today, once again, he showed that patience and played a very solid innings. When Jofra Archer was breathing fire, handling him and not giving away his wicket was extremely important — especially after Yashasvi Jaiswal got out. KL Rahul stepped up and did that brilliantly.”

Rahul has been in fine form throughout the series. In his fifth innings so far, the opener has amassed 289 runs at an impressive average of 72.25, which includes two half-centuries and a century.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer