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Joe Root scored an unbeaten 99 as England reached 251/4 on day certainly one of the Lord’s Test against India.
England’s Joe Root batting against India (AP)
Joe Root compiled a gritty unbeaten 99 as England abandoned their usual aggressive approach, choosing traditional long-format batting under consistent pressure from the Indian bowlers to achieve 251 for 4 on day certainly one of the Lord’s Test on Thursday.
At stumps, Root was only one run in need of his thirty seventh Test century, having faced 191 balls, and was partnered by Ben Stokes (39 not out off 102 balls). They’ve added 79 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket partnership.
India vs England: third Test, Day 1 – Highlights
What Happened On Day 1 of third Test?
In a rare decision to bat first in a house game in the course of the Bazball era, England selected to exhibit patience on a slow surface as an alternative of their customary offensive style under Stokes. The pitch appeared green on the eve of the sport but looked flat before the toss, as a big crowd gathered at the long-lasting venue.
With the series tied at 1-1, the pitch was a serious point of debate leading as much as the third Test. India, equipped with six bowling options, didn’t offer many freebies, though Edgbaston hero Akash Deep struggled to search out his rhythm in his debut game here.
After a wicketless afternoon session, Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Ollie Pope (44 off 104 balls) with the primary ball after tea, catching him behind with a delivery that turned away from length. Five overs later, Jasprit Bumrah showcased his skill by getting one to nip back and breach Harry Brook’s defence.
Within the afternoon, Rishabh Pant had an injury scare when a ball angled down leg from Bumrah struck his left fingertips, forcing him to depart the sphere. Dhruv Jurel replaced him and performed well. Pant’s injury isn’t serious, and he is anticipated to resume wicketkeeping on Friday.
Why Bazball From England?
India managed to maintain England’s run rate in check, but Root and Pope steadily advanced to take the hosts to 153 for 2 at tea. England, typically known for his or her ultra-aggressive approach, adopted a subdued session by their standards, with Root and Pope employing classical Test match batting techniques. They were content to depart balls outside the off-stump to avoid any damage, scoring 70 runs from 24 overs in the center session.
Root reached his fifty with a boundary to the fine-leg region. Within the morning session, India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy struck twice in an eventful over, leaving England at 83 for 2 at lunch.
As expected, Prasidh Krishna was replaced by Bumrah within the Indian playing eleven. The trio of Bumrah, Akash Deep, and Mohamed Siraj posed some challenges, but England’s opening pair of Ben Duckett (23 off 40 balls) and Zak Crawley (18 off 43 balls) survived the primary hour of play, reaching 39 for no loss in 13 overs.
Attributable to the unique slope, the Indian bowlers took a while to regulate to the bottom’s up-and-down nature while running in. Bumrah bowled from each the Pavilion End and Nursery End, while Akash Deep, who took a match haul of 10 wickets at Edgbaston, bowled with the brand new ball from the Nursery End.
Captain Shubman Gill could have brought Akash Deep back after the primary hour but opted to provide the ball to Reddy from the Nursery End, and he didn’t disappoint. The primary breakthrough got here when Duckett gloved a brief ball on the leg side to the wicketkeeper. The following ball could have dismissed Pope, but Gill couldn’t hold onto a tricky probability at gully. The last ball of the over saw the dismissal of Crawley with a beauty that seamed away from length, inducing an outdoor edge to the keeper.
Though the gang capability on the hallowed ground is just over 30,000, it seemed the entire of London was flocking to the venue, with a sea of fans emerging from the nearby St. John’s Wood tube station. While Test cricket may struggle for normal attendance in some nations, a sell-out crowd on this series has reaffirmed that the normal format continues to thrive in England. Fans have also flown in from India for this marquee fixture, with a family from Bengaluru spending as much as 1200 kilos for 3 tickets bought from touts outside the bottom.
(With inputs from PTI)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha… Read More
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