Pant run-out in last over before lunch after India rule third morning at Lord's

Lunch India 248 for 4 (Rahul 98*, Pant 74, Archer 1-35) trail England 387 by 139 runs

KL Rahul's imminent century gave England a chance, and they took it. Rishabh Pant was run-out in the last over before lunch as he tried to hand the strike over to his partner so that he could bring up the landmark. Apart from that mistake, though, India were ruling the roost on the third day at Lord's.

An otherwise profitable session's play - 103 runs in 22.3 overs - ended on a sour note for the visitors, and for Pant in particular - because he was out there with an injured finger. There were moments where he was placed in discomfort, but there were also moments that were straight out of his top draw.

Pant charged at Jofra Archer in the first over. He tried to break a sequence of 25 dots with a fall-away scoop. He was happy to risk the reverse ramp for just a single run. And, after securing his eighth half-century in England, he hammered his 88th six in Test cricket, which puts him only two shy of Virender Sehwag, who holds the India record.

That is why Pant will be peeved at how he fell. It was needless, except for the fact that he thought he was trying to help his team-mate. Ben Stokes understood the urge. He might also have factored Pant's injury into his calculations because the throw would've been a lot more straight forward to the batter's end from his position. Instead, Stokes turned himself around and nailed the target at the other one, sparking a somewhat angry celebration.

This happened towards the tail-end of Stokes bowling one of his fiery old spells, five overs where 26 balls were either short or short of a length, and his pace up at 90mph as he tried to make things happen. When he did, the whole team gathered around him, galvanised. Stokes himself knew how big a wicket Pant's was and the circumstances in which it came, because England were very much second best throughout the session - though for no fault of trying.

And perhaps that's why there was a point in the celebrations where Stokes felt the need to bring his cap up to his mouth, a trick used to make sure the cameras don't catch what you're saying.

Rahul, meanwhile, was the picture of simplicity and grace. Since his comeback into the Test team in 2021, on a tour of England, he has made four centuries away from home, the joint-most by an India batter. Pant is the man he shares the podium with, and it was in the effort to go clear at No. 1 that India lost a needless wicket and must now try and smother the momentum England might have gained thanks to their inspirational captain.