Friday was special for Jasprit Bumrah.
The seasoned Indian pacer led his side off the field to appreciation from the crowd after claiming his 15th Test fifer — 13th away from home, the most by an Indian — as he made his way onto the Lord’s honours board.
Shortly after Joe Root (104, 199b, 10×4), brought up his eighth century at the iconic ground, adding just five runs to his overnight score, Bumrah removed Ben Stokes, Root and Chris Woakes (the last two off consecutive balls) in his first two overs to draw the momentum in the visitor’s favour. England would have been in a spot of bother if K.L. Rahul had held on to a regulation chance in the slips off Mohammed Siraj’s bowling to send Jamie Smith packing.
HIGHLIGHTS DAY 2 | IND vs ENG Highlights, 3rd Test Day 2: IND 145/3 at Stumps; Woakes removes Gill on 16; Rahul scores unbeaten fifty
Bumrah’s brilliance notwithstanding, the host still managed to put up 387 in its first innings, riding on fifties by Smith (51, 56b, 6×4) and Brydon Carse (56, 83b, 6×4, 1×6), the pair frustrating Indian bowlers for the larger part of the first session as they stitched an 84-run stand for the eighth wicket.
England also benefitted from India’s decision to change the ball, which was moving around, after just 10.4 overs. Smith and Carse tested the patience of the Indian bowlers with runs flowing quickly. Amid cheers from the crowd, Smith drove the ball adeptly through extra cover before bringing up his half-century with a single at the stroke of lunch.
Siraj finally got his man, dismissing Smith to end a long partnership. Carse took on Bumrah bravely and even smacked Siraj for a six over his head to bring up his maiden Test fifty. Bumrah castled Archer to bring up his fifer, and Siraj ended Carse’s blitz to bring the curtains down on England’s first essay.
Spectators at the iconic venue also waited with bated breath as their own cherished speedster, Archer, returned to Test cricket after four years. An exciting contest ensued early on in the Indian response, which saw Archer sending back Yashasvi Jaiswal in his very first over.
The opener, in prime form, began with a flurry of boundaries, making the most of Woakes’ loose deliveries. However, Archer nipped the southpaw’s aggression in the bid, off just the third ball of his spell.
Rahul’s unbeaten 53 (113b, 5×4) guided India to 143 for 3 at stumps on day 2 of the Test here.
Rahul and Karun Nair (40, 62b,4×4) endured a challenging passage of play, adding 61 runs for the second wicket. Despite a promising start, though, Karun one again failed to cash in, falling to Stokes after offering a catch to Root at first slip.
After a rare failure with the bat for skipper Shubman Gill, Rahul had Rishabh Pant for company. Despite the latter skipping wicketkeeping duties due to an index finger injury, he returned to see the day through.
Rahul, who scored a sublime hundred the last time these two sides met at this venue in 2021, seemed to be in no hurry, choosing caution instead.
