England resumed Day 2 of the Lord’s Test at 251/4, with Joe Root unbeaten on 99 and Ben Stokes on 39. Root wasted no time, reaching his 37th Test century with a boundary on the very first ball of the day. It was his ninth international hundred at this historic venue. However, Jasprit Bumrah quickly turned the tide for India by clean bowling Stokes and breaking their 88-run stand.
Bumrah Wreaks Havoc at Lord’s
Following Stokes’ dismissal, Bumrah sent Root back to the pavilion and then dismissed Chris Woakes off the very first ball, caught behind. Bumrah went on to claim his maiden five-wicket haul at Lord’s. Despite his onslaught, Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse managed to steady England’s innings and added quick runs. Carse scored 56 off 83 deliveries before Mohammed Siraj bowled him out, ending England’s innings at 387.
India’s Watchful Start; Jaiswal Departs Early
After lunch, India began their innings cautiously. However, Jofra Archer struck early, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal on just the third ball of the innings. Karun Nair and KL Rahul then came together and helped India recover from the early blow, guiding the team to 44/1 by tea.
Karun Nair’s Comeback Cut Short, Gill’s Rare Failure
The partnership between Nair and Rahul was worth 61 runs before Nair was caught in the slips for 40 off Ben Stokes’ delivery. Captain Shubman Gill joined Rahul and added 33 more runs, but he too fell cheaply, edging a delivery from Woakes to the keeper.
Pant Returns, Rahul Hits Second Fifty
India’s biggest boost came with the return of Rishabh Pant, who had been sidelined with a finger injury. He signalled his intent by smashing three boundaries off Shoaib Bashir early in his innings. Meanwhile, KL Rahul notched up his second half-century of the match (scored off 97 balls, including five boundaries). The pair took India to 145/3 by stumps, keeping the team in a strong position.