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Experts might call it even-stevens after Day 1 of the third Test at Lord’s, but there’s a feeling in the air that England have nudged slightly ahead. Abandoning their high-octane Bazball tactics, England’s batters embraced a more disciplined and classical approach, opting for a traditional Test match tempo. It was a refreshing shift, one that made for riveting viewing, as they made their way to 251/4 at stumps. India's legendary spin-bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin termed it 'Prankball'. He lauded Joe Root for remaining unbeaten on 99 after the opening day's play.
“It was a great day for England. Everyone believed England was going to continue with Bazball, but they betrayed everyone by playing Prankball instead. They usually score at a net run rate of 4, 4.5 an over, but today was different. England were going at three runs an over. I had previously discussed that Joe Root scoring runs is very important for the team. Commeth the man, commeth the hour. His innings was a lesson in how Test cricket needs to be played. Root is back,” Ravichandran Ashwin stated on his YouTube channel.
Despite England’s measured innings, the pitch at Lord’s is already showing signs of mischief. Ashwin, observing the surface keenly, pointed out its subcontinent-like behavior — variable bounce and lack of consistency— making it imperative for India to strike early on Day 2 and prevent England from breaching the 350-run mark.
“If you look at this pitch, it possesses some sub-continent tendencies. The ball usually softens up after 60 overs, but if you look at Ravindra Jadeja, one back of a length delivery hit Joe Root’s bat very low. Now, this on Day 1 at Lord’s is quite a contrast to the conditions that you expect in England. The up and bounce at Lord’s was always going to be a concern, and we saw that when Nitish Reddy picked up two wickets and also had Ben Stokes in trouble momentarily,” added Ashwin.
“There is contrasting bounce and variable pace on this pitch. If I were India, I would be telling the bowler to roll them out in the first session tomorrow. Can they keep England below 350? Because the longer England play, this surface is going to play tricks.”
Root reaches milestone
Joe Root and Ben Stokes toned things down and shared a crucial partnership of unbeaten 79 runs for the fifth wicket, giving England a solid foundation moving into Day 2. Root, in particular, continued his love affair with Indian bowlers. With a fluent knock, he completed 3,000 runs against India and is now just one short of his eighth Test century at Lord’s.
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