Jasprit Bumrah’s first-hour spell rattled England, yet Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse nudged the home side back to firmer ground, taking them to 353 for 7 by lunch on day two.
Bumrah, held back on day one, struck with the second new ball that had looked full of mischief the previous evening. In five overs he removed Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes, reducing England from an overnight 260 for 4 to a nervy 271 for 7. “Bumrah’s new-ball spell was world-class,” observed Sky Sports analyst Nasser Hussain. Few at Lord’s argued.
Root’s 37th Test hundred had come two deliveries before his dismissal. The Yorkshireman eased the first ball of the morning to the third-man rope, moving past Rahul Dravid and Steven Smith on the all-time list, then nicked a sharp inducker. “You never get tired of scoring hundreds for England,” Root said earlier this year, though this one ended sooner than he had hoped as Bumrah removed him for the 11th time in Tests.
Stokes followed, pinned on the crease by a ball that seamed back. The captain reviewed out of duty more than belief and trudged off, shaking his head. Woakes then fell to a successful review from Shubman Gill, who at least enjoyed that small victory after several fruitless challenges this tour.
India’s momentum stalled when the umpires replaced the second new ball only 10.3 overs into its life. Gill spent a good part of the drinks break querying the switch with Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula, but another replacement arrived eight overs later, equally unhelpful for the tourists.
Meanwhile Smith, dropped on five by KL Rahul at slip, knuckled down. A 52-ball half-century featured crisp drives and a couple of well-judged upper-cuts whenever the quicks strayed short. “He just looks in control, doesn’t he?” said former England bowler Steven Finn on BBC radio. With Carse offering solid company—lofting Akash Deep through extra-cover and even slashing Bumrah past point—the eighth-wicket pair added an unbroken 82.
India tried attacking from the other end, but Smith’s composure blunted each ploy. By the interval the visitors’ early euphoria had faded, the game back in that familiar Lord’s equilibrium where one partnership can swing a whole day.
England know they still need to stretch the total. India, for their part, remain only a couple of quick wickets away from batting. The immediate question after lunch: can Bumrah, already on four for 59, find one more incisive burst, or will Smith push on toward a second century of the series and tilt the match again?
