On a day marked by delays and interruptions, during which only 72.3 overs were played, Joe Root achieved his 37th Test century. Meanwhile, Brydon Carse (56) and Jamie Smith (51) made valuable contributions, helping the hosts reach a total of 387. Jasprit Bumrah secured his 13th five-wicket haul in overseas Tests, putting England on the back foot, while KL Rahul’s resilient 53* led India to Stumps at 145 for 3, still behind by 242 runs.
Jasprit Bumrah gets a fifer in his comeback match
At the beginning of the day’s play, Root achieved his 37th Test century before Bumrah dismantled the English batting lineup, claiming the wickets of Ben Stokes, Root, and Woakes within just two overs. Smith was given a second chance after Rahul dropped a straightforward catch in the slips, and the wicketkeeper-batter capitalized on this opportunity. Additionally, a surprising change of the ball by India, which was exhibiting movement, after only 10.4 overs, played into England’s favor as well.
Smith and Carse quickly accumulated runs and hardly provided any opportunities for India, having navigated through a challenging phase of play. The ‘keeper-batter executed a stylish extra-cover drive before reaching his half-century with a single just before Lunch. Smith was dismissed shortly after Lunch, as Mohammed Siraj induced an edge to the wicketkeeper, concluding the 84-run partnership. Bumrah secured his fifth wicket of the innings by bowling Archer, marking his first five-wicket haul at Lord’s. With only one wicket remaining, Carse was dropped twice in an over, much to Siraj’s frustration. This was interspersed with a six hit down the ground as the all-rounder reached his 50. However, the bowler eventually succeeded as a yorker bowled Carse, concluding the innings at 387.
Yashasvi Jaiswal commenced the Indian innings with three boundaries in the opening over of their response. However, his time at the crease was brief as Archer delivered a ball that angled away from the left-hander, prompting Jaiswal to prod at it, resulting in a catch to Harry Brook in the slips. Following this, Rahul undertook the task of stabilizing the innings, even as England maintained a slight advantage in the contest.
KL Rahul and Karun Nair get the scoreboard moving
Rahul was a consistent influence in India’s response, steering them through turbulent times. Together with Karun Nair, he established a partnership of 61 to initiate the recovery following the early dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Nair struck Carse to the boundary after successfully utilizing the DRS to overturn a caught-behind decision. Nair performed well, demonstrating a straight bat as he comfortably accumulated singles and twos, while Rahul drove through the extra-cover area to reach the 50-run partnership.
However, Nair (40) was unable to convert yet another promising start. Stokes grazed the edge of his bat, leading to Root executing a remarkable catch at first slip, thereby breaking the record for the most outfield catches in Test history. England promptly turned to Jofra Archer as Gill entered the crease; the Indian captain appeared somewhat cautious early on against the added pace. Rahul continued to play the ball late, keeping it under his eyes and collecting singles and twos behind the wicket.
Following a splendid straight drive down the ground, Gill (16) edged behind off Chris Woakes to Smith, who was positioned up to the stumps. This strategy proved effective for England, with the seamer generating a slight movement away from the right-hander. Rishabh Pant faced Shoaib Bashir upon his arrival at the crease, and after settling in, he struck two boundaries against the offspinner. The vigilant Rahul reached 50, serving as a steady presence for the visitors at the wicket.
SCORECARD: India 145/3 (KL Rahul 53*, Karun Nair 40; Jofra Archer 1-22, Ben Stokes 1-16) trail England 352/7 (Joe Root 104, Jamie Smith 51*; Jasprit Bumrah 4-63, Nitish Kumar Reddy 2-62) by 242 runs