Thursday’s first day marked the first time in this Test series that an equal contest between bat and ball ensued. The theme was unaltered at Lord’s on Friday, England and India trading measured punches like two well-matched heavyweights looking for openings to exploit rather than banking on raw power and bravado to get the job done. At the time of going to press, India were 119-3 Jasprit Bumrah led the nip-and-tuck charge with a brilliant three-wicket burst in the morning once Joe Root had kept his tryst with a 37th century, until England repelled it with a wonderful eighth-wicket association between the irrepressible Jamie Smith and the enterprising Brydon Carse. India would have gladly settled for a final English tally of 387, given that the hosts resumed on 251-4 with Root and Ben Stokes firmly entrenched in the middle. But in the end, that might have looked a few runs too many after Bumrah’s brilliance left the hosts reeling at 271-7 within 20 minutes of the start.
Bumrah’s quest for second first-innings five-for this series received an early shot in the arm when he snuck the ball through Stokes’s gate in the third over the day, this after Root had drive the first ball of the day, from the same bowler, in the air wide of gully for his 10th four that took him to his eighth Lord’s hundred. Bumrah then dismissed Root and Chris Woakes off successive deliveries before the Smith-Carse fightback, which yielded 84 priceless runs.
England’s Joe Root celebrates his century yesterday. PIC/BIPIN PATEL
India finally ended England’s resistance three-quarters of an hour after lunch, setting the stage for Jofra Archer’s return to Test cricket after four years. At the same venue where he made his debut six years back, the wonderful pacer needed only three deliveries to make his presence felt. Yashasvi Jaiswal had struck Woakes for three fours in the first over, but all he could do was nick Archer to second slip after being squared up, Harry Brook grabbing the offering that sent Archer and the massive gathering into raptures.
Karun Nair, perhaps playing for his place in the XI, and Rahul fell back on their familiarity with each other and long associations for state and country to begin the rebuilding process even as Archer cranked up the speed gun, touching 93 mph, the fastest ball of the series to date. The two right-handers were just beginning to calm the dressing room when Root plucked a sensational left-handed catch, millimetres off the ground and almost behind him at first slip, to send Karun packing for 40. It was Root’s 211th catch in Tests, taking him past Rahul Dravid and making him the most prolific catcher in the history of the five-day game.
Dukes ball-maker open to change amid criticism
The Dukes ball has copped plenty of criticism from the players in the ongoing India-England Test series, but its owner Dilip Jajodia wants the “superstars of the game” to show more patience and be more reasonable in their approach towards the controversial subject. Speaking to Jajodia on the sidelines of the third Test, said his company with a history dating back to the 18th century, is open to making improvements on the ball keeping in mind the unusually hot weather in the UK and demands of the modern game where batters are pounding the ball with rather heavy bats.
Brief scores
England 387 all out (J Root 104, B Carse 56, J Smith 51, O Pope 44, B Stokes 44; N Reddy 2-62, M Siraj 2-85; J Bumrah 5-74) vs India 119-3 (KL Rahul 43*, K Nair 40) (scores incomplete)
