Shastri believes that while India were on top at stages of the match, England were due credit for grabbing their opportunities when it mattered.
“You have to compliment England,” he said. “When the going got tough, those moments they seized. And when they saw an opening in the door, they just banged their door down.
“There was hardly anything in that surface, and if you had lost two wickets less the previous day I think India would have chased that down.”
The Lord’s Test was a classic, with both sides posting identical first-innings scores of 387 before Washington Sundar’s four-wicket heroics with the ball on Day 4 bundled out England for 192.
Shastri drew comparisons to India’s thrilling win the last time at the same venue in 2021, when was the head coach at the time.
“It reminded me so much of the Test match in 2021,” he said. “Only on that occasion, it was India who batted first. Scorelines were very similar, 300, 300 and then a collapse in the second innings. At that time, India won. This time it was England.
“But a fascinating series and two more to go. Anything can happen. India can bounce back straight away and if that happens, The Oval [final Test] will be a thriller.
“Fifteen days in the series, it’s been riveting stuff. And at times, I think India could have been 3-0 up. A little bit of luck, India could have been 3-0 up.”
