India arrived at Trent Bridge in August 2018 with their backs against the wall. England had already taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match Test series, and Virat Kohli's side desperately needed a win. On August 18, the third Test began in Nottingham and India eventually produced exactly the kind of performance they had been looking for. The visitors won the toss and chose to bat first. Kohli led from the front with the bat, scoring 97, while Ajinkya Rahane added a valuable 81. Their efforts helped India post 329 in the first innings, giving the bowlers something substantial to defend.
England struggled with the bat as India's pace attack ran through the home batting order, with Hardik Pandya producing the standout figures of 5/28. England were bowled out for just 161, leaving India with a lead of 168 runs. That was when the game began to swing firmly in India's favour.
Kohli once again took charge in the second innings. This time, he went one better than his first-innings effort and scored a brilliant 103. Cheteshwar Pujara also made an important contribution with 72, while Rohit Sharma finished unbeaten on 59 as India declared on 352/7. England were left with an enormous target of 521. They fought harder in the second innings, with Jos Buttler making 106 and Ben Stokes scoring 62. Indian bowlers came back strongly.
Jasprit Bumrah was the star, taking 5/85 as England were dismissed for 317. India had won by 203 runs. After losing the first two Tests, the victory gave Kohli's team a much-needed lift and kept the series alive. Kohli scored 200 runs across the match, Pandya's five-wicket haul in the first innings and Bumrah's match-winning spell combined to give India one of their most complete performances of the tour. The series would ultimately end 4-1 in England's favour, but Trent Bridge provided India with their one major breakthrough.
