Lord’s – Day two offered an even share of applause. Jasprit Bumrah walked off with five wickets and his name on the Lord’s board for the first time, England still reached 387 thanks to Joe Root’s 37th Test century and another vigorous lower-order rally, and Jofra Archer needed only three deliveries of his first over in three years to remind everyone what 93mph looks like.
England 387 all out (Root 104, Smith 72, Carse 51; Bumrah 5-78)
India 28 for 1 (Rahul 18, Archer 1-12)
Root resumed on 99, took one ball of width from Akash Deep and steered it to third to go level with Jacques Kallis and past Rahul Dravid on the all-time list. “Any time you score a hundred at Lord’s it goes straight to the top drawer,” he told the host broadcaster, understated as usual.
Bumrah, rested at Trent Bridge with this very surface in mind, stopped Root’s progress nine overs later and then pinned Ben Stokes in front of the Pavilion. “I’ve always dreamt of seeing my name up there,” he admitted. “Doing it against a quality line-up feels sweeter.”
Archer’s moment came much earlier, the third ball of the morning angling in, straightening, and kissing Yashasvi Jaiswal’s edge. He roared, arms spread wide. “I tried to keep it simple – hit the deck, trust the slope,” he said between ice baths. The fourth ball was clocked at 93mph; rust, evidently, doesn’t weigh much.
For India the irritations arrived in clusters. A second new ball lost shape after ten overs, its replacement scarcely rounder. Shubman Gill spent an entire drinks break discussing the matter with Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula, and eight overs later another change finally happened. During the distraction Jamie Smith, spilled on 5 by KL Rahul, busied himself with punchy drives and deft dabs. His 52-ball fifty nudged England past 300; Brydon Carse, unfussed, collected a maiden half-century as the final three wickets put on 116.
Karun Nair fell moments before the close, Archer’s nip-backer bursting through a slightly open gate. Rahul, otherwise secure, will resume on 18 with nightwatchman Akash Deep for company.
Analysis
England’s total is competitive rather than imposing, but the late wicket means the morning session belongs to Archer and company. The pitch has carried true but not alarmingly; Bumrah found just enough shape both ways, and Mohammed Siraj beat the bat without reward. With cloud forecast, India’s top order will need to shelve the flamboyance that cost Jaiswal and Nair.
Key takeaways
• Bumrah’s 5 for 78 takes him past Kapil Dev for most overseas five-fors by an Indian quick (13).
• Root’s 104 is his second hundred of the series and 37th overall, fifth on the global list.
• Archer’s first-over strike caps a 31-month rehabilitation from elbow and back injury.
• England’s last three wickets added 116 – their sixth 100-plus stand for wickets 8-10 in the Stokes-McCullum era.
• Second new ball changed twice within 18 overs, leaving both sides muttering about Dukes quality.
Former England captain Michael Atherton summed up the day neatly on television: “Bumrah had the skill, Root the control, Archer the theatre – Lord’s got value for every seat.” India must now cash in with the bat or risk conceding a decisive lead.
