[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

England win the toss and will bowl first at Lord's. Hameed, Moeen and Wood in. Stuart Broad out for the rest of the series, Lawrence and Crawley dropped.

[themaclad]

122-0 going well Joe!!!!!

[themaclad]

Second LV= Insurance Test, Lord's (day one of five)
India 276-3: Rahul 127*, Rohit 83, Kohli 42
England: Yet to bat

England suffered a demoralising first day of the second Test as a KL Rahul century led India towards a huge total after they were asked to bat first.

Rahul played with elegance for 127 not out, growing in stature following his supporting role in an opening stand of 126 with Rohit Sharma, who made a superb 83 at Lord's.

With India captain Virat Kohli adding 42 in a third-wicket partnership of 117 with Rahul, India moved to 276-3 and in a prime position to take complete control of the match.

James Anderson - passed fit to play - produced two excellent deliveries to remove Rohit and Cheteshwar Pujara, while Ollie Robinson provided a late boost with the wicket of Kohli.

However, the home side were collectively poor with the ball and, as the clouds gave way to evening sunshine, batting looked increasingly comfortable on a true pitch.

England were aided by the rain in the drawn first Test at Trent Bridge. The London weather is forecast to be dry for the weekend, so the hosts will need their batsmen - including Haseeb Hameed, recalled for Zak Crawley - to dig them out of this one.

It was hard to disagree with England captain Joe Root when he opted to bowl first on a cool, grey, damp morning. Kohli said he would have done the same.

However, while it is fair to say England did not get the amount of assistance they might have expected, rarely did they find the right area, alternating between too wide and too straight.

Credit should be given to Rohit and Rahul, who came through what could have been a difficult period with sound judgement, only playing when absolutely necessary.

After Stuart Broad was ruled out for the series with a calf injury, Anderson overcame a quad problem to produce his double strike in the run-up to tea.

By that time, though, India had built a strong foundation and it would look even more ominous for England had Robinson not struck.

Still, India will be looking to heap pressure on England by batting for most of Friday.



Rahul is only playing in this series after injuries to Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal, yet began with scores of 84 and 26 at Trent Bridge and followed up with his first Test hundred in almost three years.

He began as the support to Rohit, who took four fours in one Sam Curran over and got the better of a thrilling duel with the rapid Mark Wood.

Rahul did not score his first boundary - a straight six off Moeen Ali - until the 108th ball he faced, shortly before Rohit fell for his best Test score outside India.




Kohli had not before passed 25 in four Test innings at Lord's and had to come through an examination by Curran and almost played on off Moeen.

Robinson eventually drew him into playing away from his body, with Root grasping the edge at first slip.


Broad is missing a home Test for only the third time since 2010. Without him, England were toothless for long periods.

Robinson's usual accuracy deserted him, Curran began by bowling both sides of the wicket, Wood - Broad's replacement - touched 96mph but was expensive, while the recalled Moeen struggled to make an impact.

As ever, it was left to Anderson, who first nipped one down the Lord's slope to bowl Rohit, then got one got one to go the other way to have the poking Pujara held at third slip.


Jonny Bairstow catches Cheteshwar Pujara off James Anderson delivery for nine
It was the start of an England improvement. Curran bowled a testing spell from round the wicket and Robinson's probing with the second new ball was rewarded by the wicket of Kohli.

There was still time for Root to waste a review on new man Ajinkya Rahane, perhaps a result of England's frustrating day.

'A masterclass' from Rahul - what they said
England seamer Ollie Robinson on BBC Sport: "Everybody saw how green the pitch was this morning and everybody here thought 'win the toss and bowl'. We toiled hard.

"Virat is probably my biggest wicket to date, so I was happy with that. If can get them five or six down early, they have quite a long tail, and we'd still be in the game."

Former England captain Michael Vaughan on BBC Test Match Special: "It was perfection from KL Rahul. That was a masterclass in how to open the batting in England. It's been a joy to watch - a craftsman at work.

"It is a huge day for England tomorrow. They've got to get the wickets, and then it is about the batting, which has been the downfall in the last year."

BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew: "I don't think anyone can seriously criticise Joe Root's decision to bowl.

"But there didn't seem to be a great plan about England's bowling today. India have built a fantastic platform."

Former England batsman Mark Ramprakash: "It's been a chastening day for England. There will be some weary bodies and minds. But the next two batsmen are left-handers who play in an attacking style, and then there are the four seamers.

"There is light at the end of the tunnel for England, but they will have to bat well and bat long."

[themaclad]

England 118 for 3 (Burns 49, Root 48*, Siraj 2-34) trail India 364 (Rahul 129, Anderson 5-62) by 246 runs
It was more ebb and flow and less one-sided on day two as England counter-punched throughout to significantly limit India's chances of running away with an early advantage in the second Test. Spearheading the bowling effort once again was James Anderson, who became the oldest man in 70 years to take a Test five-for; he was aided much better on the day by the rest of the line-up, and together they made sure that India added only 88 to their overnight score of 276 for 3.
By stumps, England were 246 behind with Joe Root looking solid, after he had put up an encouraging stand with Rory Burns that came just in time as a potent spell from Mohammed Siraj threatened to put India on top once again.
The day couldn't have begun any better for England. Overnight centurion KL Rahul miscued a drive straight to extra cover off Ollie Robinson, second ball of the day, and Anderson had Ajinkya Rahane caught behind off the first ball next over to put an end to a 23-ball effort for India's vice-captain that yielded a single run. At 282 for 5, India were suddenly in danger of a rapid end to their innings as England made use of the overcast conditions far better than they had on the first day.
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James Anderson, the lord of Lord's when India come calling

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Stats - Anderson the oldest pacer with a Test five-for in 70 years

The last recognised pair - Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja - did come good at that point, even if briefly in a 49-run stand. Pant played with typical panache, stepping out to slash over the bowlers, to pummel through the covers, and on one instance even stepping out and leaving a ball outside off. He was dismissed by Mark Wood, who would eventually go on to get Jadeja as well. India's last four wickets added 33, a laboured effort that took 16.1 overs of batting around an atypically subdued Jadeja, who was the last man out. That total of 364 signalled a move towards some parity in the game for England.
Burns and Dom Sibley looked resolute as they took England to tea, but India would punch back immediately after. They did that via Siraj, and with the use of a strategy they had developed earlier in the year on their Australia tour: the leg trap, a move that involved consistently slanting the ball into batters with packed leg-side fields that eventually proved to be a viable attacking as well as defensive strategy.
Siraj was the man entrusted to pull it off, attacking Sibley's middle and leg stumps until he induced a leg-side strangle that has become endemic for England's opener in a short career; he had chipped to midwicket at Trent Bridge, and he did it again on Friday after enduring 44 balls for 11. Next ball, India had three catchers in various orientations around midwicket, and that was enough to push the returning Haseeb Hameed to play down a middle stump line to a full delivery that rattled the base of off.
It became crucial at this juncture for England that Root would get through Siraj's spell unscathed, and the bowler didn't make it easy. He consistently challenged Root's inside edge with a sustained attack at the stumps. On two occasions he came close to trapping him lbw; on both, Virat Kohli made reluctant reviews that showed the ball was sliding down leg side and India burned two reviews quickly. With the second one, he was visually distressed with wicketkeeper Pant, seemingly for being too late in telling him that the review wasn't on.

Funnily enough, it was a Siraj over that did eventually release the pressure off England. The 27th over went for three fours, all of them from Burns, who drove neatly past mid-off and followed it up with consecutive pulls to the midwicket boundary to jump from 19 off 78 to 31 off 84. It also managed to take Siraj out of the attack, and began a series of fours, including two from Root at the start of Ishant Sharma's next over. From 42 for 2 at the end of 26 overs, England swiftly jumped to 73 for 2 at the end of the 30th.
The pattern from there was much like that of India's in the last session of day one, with the sun peeking through the clouds and scoring getting easier. Soon enough, Kohli was forced to turn to Jadeja to tighten up one end in a bid to get to stumps without too much damage.
India did pull one back at the end, though: Mohammed Shami going around the wicket for a third wicket that involved the ball coming in at the stumps. Completely against the run of play, Burns was trapped on the back foot, the ball keeping a touch low as he looked to swish it into the leg side. He made it clear he wasn't pleased with that decision and it ended up costing England a review. But on the balance, at least from the point of view that India didn't make any massive strides after day one, England will have been the happier team at stumps.

[themaclad]

Stumps England 391 (Root 180*, Bairstow 57, Siraj 4-94, Ishant 3-69) lead India 364 (Rahul 129, Anderson 5-62) by 27 runs
Joe Root made his fourth century at Lord's, and stretched it past 150 like he had the first three times, as a near-perfect display on Day 3 helped England take a slender lead against India. He was left stranded on 180 with England being bowled out off the last ball of the day. The 27-run lead capped off a gradual comeback from England in the match, which had begun by first bowling India out early on Day 2 and then battling through to stumps on a difficult evening. Exactly two days and two innings now remain for the teams to force a result.
Almost as if it were a reward for their work on Friday evening, England came out to the best batting conditions of the match so far on Saturday - bright sunshine and a flat pitch that they put to good use, starting with overnight batters Root and Jonny Bairstow. The pair put up their third century stand of the year, but this one was of a different flavour, with Bairstow playing a more prominent role. His most prominent role in two years, in fact, as England's No. 5 brought up his first Test fifty since 2019.
Bairstow took the lead early in the day, finding his groove especially on either side of the 50-over mark. England were striking at more than four an over at that stage and Bairstow's confident driving in the V started it all off. He then brought up boundaries through point and gully and his favoured square leg region and pretty soon India were already thinking conservatively.
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Joe Root is all smiles after bringing up his century PA Photos/Getty Images
That meant only two fielders in the cordon and a sweeper point fielder through most of the first session, alongside the early introduction of Ravindra Jadeja, India's go-to bowler for a defensive strategy. Every bit of that helped Root, who has been something of a one-man army for England lately. He ambled along, solid as ever, in what would turn out to be a flawless innings offering no clear chances to India.
For the most part, it was a typically delicate sort of innings from Root, punctuated with nudges and glances, and a handful of flicks through square leg. Not until the very end of the day did he attempt any overly aggressive strokes; when he did, they came off: a reverse ramp over the cordon, and a slog sweep to deep square's left off consecutive deliveries from Mohammed Siraj with England nine down. In the first two sessions, England scored at nearly 3.5 an over, and despite ending up 18 fours in a score of 180, Root finished the innings with England's best strike rate.
He continued being the one to hold England together as well, first with the 121-run stand alongside Bairstow, and then by adding 54 and 58 with Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali respectively. Those phases of play blunted any chance for India to turn the game around with the second new ball and ultimately helped England close in on the lead.
For India, it was Siraj who finished highest wicket-taker, but it was Jasprit Bumrah who had looked their best option when the day began. Bumrah would end up wicketless, but was the first to make Bairstow rethink his game. Bumrah had him hurriedly walking across the stumps, trying to protect both his stumps and his outside edge, as the scoring rate dropped down heading to lunch.
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Mohammed Siraj wheeled away all day Getty Images

Then, India brought out a short-ball strategy against which Root was comfortable enough, but not Bairstow. After a few misses on the pull, he ended up going too early at a Siraj bouncer from around the wicket, offering a simple catch to Virat Kohli at first slip. With eight balls to go before the second new ball and England 135 behind, it was India's biggest chance to pry the innings open. But that wouldn't materialise as they battled both challenging conditions as well as their own indiscipline - in general, they erred too straight, or too short.
There was none of the ingenuity that they showed on Friday evening, apart from going back to the short-balls from time to time, as the strategy became plainly about making sure England didn't run away with the game. Eventually, that did pay off. Ishant Sharma, who had bowled a trademark nip-backer to hit the top of Buttler's off stump, managed to get Ali and Sam Curran off consecutive deliveries with England only 23 shy of the lead. The two left-handers fell identically, fencing at away-going deliveries in the corridor, and once again the prospects of a collapse opened in this Test.
But once again, there was a delay - if not downright resistance - because of the lower order. Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, and James Anderson all survived about half-an-hour each for a combined 11 off 61 balls as their captain endeavoured to give them more to bowl at. India's extras helped - 33 in total, 17 no-balls - and it all added up to 50 runs for the last three wickets before Anderson, who was struck multiple times on the body through a nine-ball Bumrah over, was bowled off the last ball of the day.

[themaclad]

India 364 (Rahul 129, Anderson 5-62) & 181-6 (Pujara 45, Rahane 61)
England 391 (Root 180*, Siraj 4-94)
India lead by 154 runs
Scorecard
The second Test is set for a grandstand finale after England made late inroads into the India batting on the fourth day at Lord's.

England took three wickets for 20 runs to leave India 181-6, 154 ahead, with all four results possible on the final day.

A see-saw Test continued to fluctuate on a compelling Sunday at Lord's, with England reducing India to 55-3, only for the tourists to grind it out through a partnership of 100 between Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.

When Pujara fell for 45 off 206 balls - a third wicket for the tireless Mark Wood - it opened the door for Moeen Ali to remove Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja.

The gathering gloom added to the sense of theatre, with England only able to bowl the spin of Moeen and Joe Root despite the second new ball being available.

When the umpires finally decided it was too dark, with eight overs unbowled, the dangerous Rishabh Pant remained on 14 and Ishant Sharma four.

England cannot rely on Root in run-chase - Moeen
TMS podcast: Wood & Moeen strike late to leave Test finely poised

England v India: Moeen dismisses Jadeja with an 'absolute peach'
England hit back after India rearguard
This has been a wonderful Test, one in which England - without a win in six games - have responded to being second best in the drawn series opener and allowing to reach India 276-3 on the first day.

It moved through distinct phases and contained some memorable moments: England's early potency, the resistance of Pujara and Rahane, then the drama of the late wickets.

By the end, the early finish probably suited both sides. India would have wanted to escape to the safety of the dressing room, while England did not want to leak crucial runs while being forced to bowl the spinners in fading light.

The continuing presence of Pant is England's biggest concern, but they will also know they have the opportunity to run through a long India tail when the new ball is finally taken on Monday morning.

Whatever they are chasing, England must contend with a pitch that is becoming increasingly uneven, particularly when the bowling is from the Pavilion End.

There is also a concern over Wood, who left the field with a shoulder injury after diving to stop the ball on the boundary.

Pujara and Rahane make their stand
Pujara had not passed 21 in his 10 previous Test innings, while Rahane possessed only one half-century in 15, yet they combined to defy England and keep India afloat.

The obdurate Pujara spent 34 balls on nought, the lively India fans - on Indian Independence Day - chanting his name when he got off the mark. He took only 12 runs from the first 100 balls he faced.

The wristy Rahane scored slightly more freely and benefitted from being dropped at point on 31 by a diving Jonny Bairstow off Moeen.

England tried everything to split the partnership and were at the point of being blunted when Wood found extra bounce to have Pujara held at a short second slip via the glove.

Rahane lazily edged Moeen behind, with the off-spinner then producing a ripping delivery to beat the grope of Jadeja and take the off stump.

Pant, who waited to bat lying down on a couch in the India dressing room, was his usual frantic self and was in animated conversation with England captain Root as the players left the field.

England's early burst
England were magnificent in the morning session, their bowling threatening, fielding dynamic and tactics astute.

India started their second innings 27 behind and Wood was introduced in just the sixth over. After taking KL Rahul's edge with a delivery clocked at almost 94mph, he prevailed in a thrilling duel with Rohit Sharma.

With Wood haring in, Rohit was determined to take him on, snapping into a breathtaking pull for six. When England put a third fielder on the boundary, Rohit still could not resist, allowing Moeen to take a smart catch at long leg.


England v India: Mark Wood dismisses KL Rahul early on day four
James Anderson's opening spell stretched to nine overs and included a verbal joust with captain Virat Kohli, who became Curran's first wicket of the series.

Prodding at one that was well wide of off stump, Kohli was caught behind, sending Curran on an ecstatic sprint around Lord's.

India were rocked and England buoyant, only for Pujara and Rahane to mount their stoic rearguard that spanned almost 50 overs.


England v India: 'He'll be cross about that!' - Sam Curran gets 'huge' Virat Kohli wicket
'All results are possible'
England all-rounder Moeen Ali on BBC Sport: "They (Pujara and Rahane) played fantastically well, but the way we hung in there put us in a fantastic position to fight to win tomorrow. The scoring never really got away from us so it will be a great day.

"They have Pant, who could take the game away from us in one or two overs, so I didn't want to go out there searching for wickets. The game is beautifully poised."

Former England captain Michael Vaughan on BBC Test Match Special: "We are in for a gem of a last day. We come back tomorrow with all results still possible.

"The first 30 minutes will decide the game. If they allow Pant to get in, that lead will be around 200.

"At the moment I have England as favourites but the more it goes over 200 I will be edging closer to India."

Former England batsman Mark Ramprakash: "England will fancy their chances but there is still work to do. Anything around 200 will be difficult to chase."

[themaclad]

Safe to say at the moment it’s going tits up

[Lord Snooty]

Well the game was in the balance at the start of the day. It isn't now.

---

Rootytooty gone! Game over!

[themaclad]

THE BEEBS TAKE ON YESTERDAY'S ABJECT SURRENDER

Second LV= Insurance Test, Lord's (day five of five)
India 364 (Rahul 129, Anderson 5-62) & 298-8 dec (Rahane 61)
England 391 (Root 180*) & 120 (Siraj 4-32)
India won by 151 runs
Scorecard
England produced one of their worst home performances in recent memory to lose the second Test against India by 151 runs at Lord's.

From a position where they started the final day as marginal favourites, England's bowling was flayed by the India tail before their batting capitulated to 120 all out.

Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah - two genuine tailenders - shared a ninth-wicket stand of 89 in front of some raucous Indian support.

Shami had reached 56 not out and Bumrah an unbeaten 34 when India declared on 298-8, setting England an unlikely 272 to win or 60 overs to survive.

They instantly found themselves 1-2 after openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley fell for ducks, and hope faded when Jonny Bairstow then, crucially, captain Joe Root were dismissed in the space of four balls separated by tea.


England v India: Jasprit Bumrah removes Joe Root with Virat Kohli catch for 33
Jos Buttler, who faced 96 deliveries for 25, chewed up 16 overs with Moeen Ali and 12 with Ollie Robinson, either side of Sam Curran completing a king pair.

However, Robinson and Buttler fell in successive overs, before Mohammed Siraj bowled last man James Anderson to end with 4-32 and put a rampant India 1-0 up with three Tests to play.

I got tactics wrong in the field - Root
Criticism from commentators fired up India tailenders - Kohli
TMS podcast: India take victory on gripping final day
Tuffers & Vaughan podcast: 'This series has just gone up a notch'
Abject England sink to new low
Disappointing England Test performances have become commonplace, especially overseas. They have also been bowled out for 85 and 67 at home by Ireland and Australia respectively, but at least they won those matches.

What makes this defeat so abject is the manner they threw away a genuine chance of victory, one which came after they were second best in the drawn first Test and allowed India to reach 276-3 on day one here.

Their tactics during the Shami-Bumrah stand were completely baffling. Perhaps sucked in by the emotion of Anderson being peppered by Bumrah on the the third evening, England targeted the man rather than the stumps. By the time they changed the plan, it was too late.


England v India: Reliance on Joe Root is embarrassing - Vaughan
Not only that, but the fractious nature of the contest - there were numerous verbal exchanges between the two sides - seemed to galvanise India, while England wilted.

Sure enough, when England came to bat to save the match on a pitch only showing an occasional sign of uneven bounce, they were blown away, much to the delight of the swathe of India fans inside a buzzing Lord's.

England are now without a win in seven Tests and must find a response when the sides reconvene at Headingley on 25 August. India, on the other hand, will take some stopping.

Shami and Bumrah light up Lord's
With India 181-6 overnight - 154 ahead - their hopes seemed to rest on the swashbuckling Rishabh Pant.

That they could be taken to a declaration by Shami and Bumrah - men who averaged 11 and three respectively in Test cricket - is barely believable.


England v India: Ollie Robinson claims wicket of Rishabh pant
And yet, after Robinson had Pant caught behind for 22 and trapped Ishant Sharma lbw for three, England took leave of their cricketing senses, scattering the field and hardly producing a delivery aimed at the top of off stump.

Although Bumrah began with some wild swipes, Shami was assured throughout. As England became increasingly frustrated, Bairstow dropped a half-chance at mid-wicket when Shami was on 31, while Root shelled a straightforward catch at slip off Moeen when Bumrah had 22.

Shami went to his second Test half-century from 57 balls by hoisting Moeen over mid-wicket for six, both men reaching their highest scores. Overall, the ninth-wicket pair bumped along at 4.5 an over.

By the time the declaration arrived in the second over after lunch, India were the only side with a realistic chance of victory, while England were absolutely scrambled.


Mohammed Shami hits Moeen Ali for a four and a six to bring up half-century
England capitulate
Given their fun with the bat and England's fragile batting, it was almost inevitable that Bumrah and Shami would do early damage.

When Burns got a leading edge off Bumrah and Shami produced a devilish away-swinger to take Sibley's edge, it was the first time in an England home Test innings that both of their openers had fallen for ducks. Sibley must be in severe danger of being left out of the third Test.


England v India: Mohammed Shami edges Dom Sibley for England's second duck
Even the prolific Root, who made an unbeaten 180 in the first innings, could not save his team. He was caught at first slip off Bumrah in the first over after tea and England looked beaten.

Although Buttler and Moeen battled, they still needed the fortune of Buttler being dropped by first slip Virat Kohli off Bumrah and Moeen being caught behind off a Ravindra Jadeja no-ball.

When Moeen and Curran edged successive Siraj deliveries, Curran became the first man to return two golden ducks in a Lord's Test.


England v India: Mohammed Siraj dismisses Moeen Ali and Sam Curran in two balls
Robinson provided support to Buttler, yet when he was lbw on review to a skilful Bumrah slower ball from round the wicket, it was the start of the final three wickets falling in seven deliveries.

Siraj had Buttler caught behind and bowled Anderson with a beauty, the pace bowler setting off on a sprint to begin the celebrations of a famous India victory.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Well, it looks like there's life in the old girl yet.