Joe Root played a composed, unshakable, and quietly commanding knock on Day 1 of the third Test match against India at Lord's Stadium in England, on a day where England put their usual swashbuckling style on hold, Root stood tall with an unbeaten 99, guiding his side to 251 for 4 at stumps on Day 1.
Root, who faced 191 balls, was still one short of his 37th Test hundred when the day ended. Batting alongside him was captain Ben Stokes on 39*, the duo added 79 runs so far for the fifth wicket. This was the second time that England opted to bat first at home under the Bazball regime. The Ben Stokes-led side showed uncharacteristic restraint. Rather than attacking from the get-go, they opted for a more classical Test match approach, adapting to a slow, somewhat deceptive pitch that had been a talking point even before the toss. While it had looked greenish on the eve of the match, it appeared much flatter by the time the first ball was bowled, drawing in a sea of eager fans to the iconic venue.
With the series tied at 1-1, and the surface offering enough to keep bowlers interested, India’s pace attack was expected to be a handful. And for the most part, they were. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, and debutant Akash Deep hit consistent lengths, though Akash, the hero of Edgbaston, struggled slightly to find rhythm on the Lord’s slope.
India’s patience with the ball paid off after tea. Having gone wicketless through the afternoon, Ravindra Jadeja broke the stand between Root and Ollie Pope, getting the latter to edge one that turned and bounced just enough to catch the outside edge. Pope had made a well-earned 44 off 104 balls. Not long after, Bumrah produced a classic nip-backer to clean up Harry Brook for 11, bringing England back under pressure.
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There was an injury scare for India as wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant got a finger injury from a delivery that angled down leg. He left the field briefly, with Dhruv Jurel stepping in capably behind the stumps. Fortunately for India, the injury was not serious, and Pant is expected to resume keeping on Day 2.
Until the tea break, England had played an unusually subdued session by their recent standards — just 70 runs came off 24 overs. But the conditions demanded caution, and both Root and Pope were happy to bide their time, leaving balls outside off and defending with soft hands. Root, characteristically, reached his half-century with a neat glance to fine leg.
Earlier in the day, Nitish Kumar Reddy got the first breakthrough for India, he was introduced just after the first hour, Reddy struck twice in a single over, first getting Ben Duckett (23) to glove a short ball down the leg side, and then dismissing Zak Crawley (18) with a beautiful delivery that moved away just enough to take the edge.
Interestingly, Pope could’ve fallen first ball, only for Shubman Gill to drop a sharp chance at gully. Still, Reddy had done his job, and England found themselves 83 for 2 at lunch.
Bumrah was the only change in India’s XI, coming in for Prasidh Krishna, and he bowled from both ends to adjust to the unique slope of the Lord’s. Akash Deep, meanwhile, shared the new ball with him from the Nursery End but struggled for consistency early on.
The day belonged to Root, though. His innings, a masterclass in patience and precision, showed that even in the Bazball era, there’s still room for old-school grit.