'Pant, Karun dismissals opened the door for Eng'

London: Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has picked Rishabh Pant's dismissal in the first innings and Karun Nair's wicket in the second essay as the key moments that tilted the third Test at Lord's in England's favour. England registered a narrow 22-run win to go 2-1 up in the five-match series, bowling India out for 170 in the chase of 193.

"The turning point for me in this Test match was, first of all, Rishabh Pant's dis missal (in the first innings)," Shastri said on 'The ICC Re view'. Shastri lauded England captain Ben Stokes' "presence of mind" to effect Pant's run out on 74 at the stroke of lunch on Day 3, which gave his side a foot hold.

"Ben Stokes…simply out standing presence of mind to hit at the right end and pull it off on the stroke of lunch. Because India would have got a lead and they were in the driver's seat," he added.

Karun and KL Rahul had taken India to 41 for one in the second innings on the fourth day, but the former offered no shot to a de livery from pacer Brydon Carse to be adjudged leg before. It gave England an open ing and India slumped to 82 for seven from 42 for two to hand the advantage to the hosts. Shastri said Karun suffered from "huge lapse of concentration."

"Having said that, again at 40/1 (in the second in nings), I thought that was a huge lapse in concen tration from Karun Nair to leave a straight ball, a nothing ball, to leave it and open the door for England. I thought that the timing of that dismissal turned things around." 

The former India skip per also opined that the Indian top-order should have shown a little more prudence in the second in nings. "Because you saw when Siraj batted, when Bumrah batted, when Jadeja was batting, once the ball was 40 overs old, they hardly put a foot wrong.

"They were solid indefence and to bring that target down at lunch, 82 to get, you thought in the next 10 minutes it would be done and dusted. But to bring that 82 or 83 to 22 was a massive achievement. (PTI)