KL Rahul'f fifty steady India's boat as they were placed at 145/3 despite early jitters by the close of Day 2's play in the third Test against England at Lord's on July 11.
KL Rahul rescues India after patchy start on Day 2
After bowling out England for 387 riding on Jasprit Bumrah's robust fifer, Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul took the crease. However, Jofra Archer took no time to send Jaiswal (13) to the hut in just his third ball of the first over. Then England captain Ben Stokes hunted down Karun Nair at 40 which left India reeling at 74/2. But it was Chris Woakes who got the big fish in India skipper Shubman Gill at 16. Rishabh Pant (19*), who didn't come to keep wickets after sustaining injury, and Rahul (53*) formed a 38-run partnership to take India to 145/3 by the end of second day's play. When the bails were drawn India were still trailing behind 242 runs.
Joe Root lords over in Lord's
The day kicked off with Joe Root reaching his 37th Test century with a boundary, surpassing Rahul Dravid and Steve Smith in the list of most Test hundreds. With India in desperate need of wickets during the initial session, the responsibility fell once again on their premier fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, to deliver a breakthrough.
Jasprit Bumrah reigns supreme with fiery fifer
Bumrah rose to the occasion, striking in his second over by clean-bowling England captain Ben Stokes with a brilliant delivery for 44, ending the crucial 88-run partnership between him and Root. In his very next over, Bumrah dismissed Root for the 11th time in his career, once again dismantling his stumps. Chris Woakes became Bumrah's third victim, edging the ball to wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, a decision that was successfully reviewed by India using the DRS.
Following Bumrah's impactful spell, England found themselves in a precarious position at 271 for 7, giving India hope of dismissing them for under 300. However, a familiar issue for India arose when KL Rahul dropped an in-form Jamie Smith at second slip when he was on just five runs. This missed opportunity proved costly for India. To compound matters, a subsequent request for a ball change resulted in a less than ideal replacement, leading to a heated exchange between Indian captain Shubman Gill and the umpires.
This incident disrupted India's momentum, and Smith and Brydon Carse capitalized on it. The duo forged a significant 84-run partnership off 114 balls, shifting gears and adopting a more aggressive approach that had been absent since Day 1. Their partnership allowed England to reach lunch in a much stronger position at 353 for 7.
In the second session, Mohammed Siraj finally broke the partnership by dismissing Smith for 51, while Bumrah claimed the wicket of Jofra Archer, registering his 15th five-wicket haul in Test matches and earning his place on the honours board. England were eventually bowled out for 387, with Brydon Carse also reaching his maiden Test half-century.
As India began their first innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal started aggressively, hitting three boundaries in the very first over bowled by Chris Woakes. The second over saw the return of Jofra Archer to the Test team after a significant gap of four years. Archer made an immediate impact, inducing an edge from Jaiswal that was caught at first slip, dismissing him for 13 and electrifying the crowd. Karun Nair came in at number three, under pressure to perform, and cautiously navigated a challenging spell from Archer. Nair and KL Rahul then successfully saw off the tricky period until the tea break, with India at 44 for 1.
Karun Nair's rusty form continues
Following the tea interval, Karun Nair was unable to capitalize on his start and was dismissed by Ben Stokes for 40. Stokes took the catch himself, a brilliant diving effort at first slip off his own bowling. This dismissal also marked a historic moment for Joe Root, who, with this catch, set a new record for the most catches taken in Test matches, surpassing Rahul Dravid. Nair's departure brought Shubman Gill to the crease, who had recently delivered a Player of the Match performance in the previous Test. Stokes employed an interesting field setting for the Indian captain, with fielders positioned on the leg side in anticipation of a pull shot. However, this strategy was not needed as Gill edged a delivery from Woakes into the gloves of wicketkeeper Jamie Smith for 16.
After Gill's dismissal, Rishabh Pant walked in at number four, visibly battling a finger injury that had kept him off the field during England's innings. The left-handed batsman adopted a cautious approach during his brief stint towards the end of the day's play, providing solid support to KL Rahul, who reached his 19th Test half-century. Rahul and Pant added 38 runs for the fourth wicket by the close of play. The day witnessed a significant loss of play, with only 75 overs bowled on Day 2 due to various interruptions, including a staggering 15 overs lost.