At the home of cricket, India won in a dramatic way to go 1-0 up in the series.
The Lord's cricket ground witnessed one of the most incredible matches of recent times as the spirited Indian team beat hosts out of nowhere. In an incredible turn of events on the last day, India were proved to be the better side.
With 272 required in the last two sessions, England couldn't save the game. Their batsmen had no answers for the resilient bowling from India. As a result, India won the game by 151 runs with just around 8 overs left in the day's play.
OPENERS SET THE GAME.
Joe Root, the England captain, won the toss and invited India to bat first in overcast conditions. Indian openers weathered the conditions extremely well and provided India a very good start. The duo of Rahul and Rohit put on a 126-runs partnership for the first wicket.
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Once Rohit got set, he took on the aggressive approach. He scored some exquisite boundaries and helped Kl Rahul to take his time. Though Rohit missed out on a well deserved hundred, his 83 made sure that India took the early advantage in the game.
Kl Rahul scored an incredible 129 and anchored the Indian innings. He was aided by Virat Kohli at the other end. Courtesy some cameos from the Indian lower middle order, India were able to post a total of 364 in their first innings.
THE BATTING MACHINE OF ENGLAND.
England didn't have greatest of starts. They found themselves at 23/2 in no time. And as usual, they required their captain for the revival. The batting machine of England didn't disappoint. He scored a sensational hundred and kept his team in the game.
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He got the support from the other end by the likes of Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali. His unbeaten 180 helped England to score 391 in their first innings and take a slender lead of 27 runs. The match was almost at level at the end of England's first innings.
FIRE ON !
The match at the home of cricket saw some serious verbal battle between the two sides. But the most impactful among them all was James Anderson's nervy moment with Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah had seviourly attacked Anderson with a range of bouncers, which irked the aged workhorse.
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Anderson had a verbal battle with Bumrah, which further turned into a battle of aggression and mental toughness between the two sides. Jos Buttler too had some words with Bumrah and Virat in the game. Anderson had some words with Virat during the second innings.
CRUCIAL RUNS FOR BIG 3.
India in their second innings found themselves at 55/3. They lost their openers and captain. They needed someone to ensure that it didn't collapse further. And the two men, Pujara and Rahane, the two experienced but out of form campaigners, joined hands.
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They were successful in reviving India's innings with their 100-runs partnership. Though Pujara was on his natural defensive side, Rahane constantly kept punishing bad balls and notched up a fifty. Captain Kohli too scored 42 and 20 respectively in the two innings and gained some confidence.
A PARTNERSHIP FOR AGES !
Though India didn't collapse in a bad way, they found themselves at 209/8 with a lead of just 182 runs. That's when Bumrah joined Shami. What happened next was absolutely sensational. The duo just batted England out of the game.
Bumrah, the wrecker in chief, was welcomed with series of bouncers by England bowlers as a mark of giving it back to what Anderson faced in the first innings. Bumrah was brave and took on the challenge.
His defense was great to watch and he took on the initial charge. Shami at the other end started to open up once he got set. He then exploded and caused havoc on the England's bowling lineup. He hit some beautiful cover drives and attacked Moeen Ali for fun.
He notched up his second test fifty, when it mattered the most for his team. Bumrah scored a crucial 34 for himself and helped Shami in the revival of innings. The spirited effort of the two lower order batsmen helped India post a second innings score of 298 on the board.
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BOWLERS WIN THE GAME FOR INDIA.
With just about 60 overs left in the day, India gave a target of 272 runs to chase, which was almost impossible. But India clearly aimed for the kill. The heroes with the bat, Bumrah and Shami, got rid of Rory Burns and Dominic Sibley respectively for ducks.
It seemed as if Joe Root was the only man between India and the victory. He was going well with 33 at one stage. Bumrah got rid of him to hand India an important advantage in the match. England found themselves at 90/7 with still 22 overs left in the day.
Ollie Robinson then joined Jos Buttler and frustrated the Indian bowlers a bit with their defense. But Bumrah produced a magical slower one to dismiss Robinson, when only 10 overs were left in the day. Siraj then dismissed Buttler and Anderson in no time as India clinched the game with 8 more overs left in the day.
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To win a game after trailing 27 runs in the first innings and then dismiss the opponents in about 52 overs was absolutely brilliant from team India. They lead the series 1-0 as the action moves to Headingley, Leeds.
