Joe Root played a pivotal anchoring role for England on the opening day of the third Test against India at Lord’s, finishing unbeaten on 99 as the hosts reached 251 for 4 at the close. Batting first on a testing surface, England faced an intensive examination from the Indian bowling attack throughout the day, with Root grinding out his runs in an old-fashioned approach to steer his side through difficult periods. This innings saw Root cross the 3000-run mark in Test matches against India.
England’s decision to bat first was somewhat uncommon for them in recent home Tests, but the presence of a green top, which had been trimmed on the morning of the match, suggested an intention to vary their strategy from the previous two Tests in the series. However, the conditions proved far from ideal for the high-tempo ‘Bazball’ template, instead demanding patience, resilience, and the ability to absorb pressure.
India’s attack, bolstered by the return of Jasprit Bumrah in place of Prasidh Krishna, mounted early pressure on England’s openers. Both Bumrah and new-ball partner Akash Deep found movement off the pitch, while uneven bounce occasionally troubled the batsmen further. Genuine edges frequently fell short of the wicketkeeper or the slip cordon during the initial hour, leading to an increased number of plays and misses due to the ball’s deviation off the surface.
The challenging nature of the pitch was highlighted by statistics from the first 15 overs, which saw a false shot percentage of 38.4% – the highest recorded for the first 15 overs of any Test innings in England since 2006. This translated into a reduced scoring pace for England, with boundaries not coming as freely as they have in the recent past. While Akash Deep and Bumrah were perhaps unlucky not to claim early wickets, debutant Nitish Reddy made an immediate impact, removing Ben Duckett caught down the leg side with a glove and Zak Crawley nicking behind with a fine away-seamer in his very first over. Reddy could have also had Ollie Pope, but a tough low chance was put down by Shubman Gill at gully.
Root and Ollie Pope then combined for a crucial partnership, fighting through the tough conditions to add 109 runs from 211 balls. Their stand helped England recover after losing two early wickets. The scoring during this period was notably slow, with one phase seeing no runs scored for over four consecutive overs. The overall run rate of 2.91 was England’s second-slowest at home in the ‘Bazball’ era over a full season. Despite the slow pace, Root registered his 103rd score of fifty or more, while Pope also neared the milestone by the Tea break.
Joe Root batting for England at Lord's, finishing Day 1 of the Test against India unbeaten on 99 runs.
Immediately after Tea, India made a breakthrough when Ravindra Jadeja had Pope caught behind attempting a dab shot. Stand-in wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, who had taken over after Rishabh Pant injured his finger in the second session, took a sharp catch to end the stubborn partnership.
India continued to make inroads when Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Harry Brook with a sharp incoming delivery, leaving England in a precarious position at 172 for 4. Root, however, continued his defiant innings and found another willing partner in captain Ben Stokes. Stokes, who had been under pressure for his batting form leading into the Test, settled down after a couple of early aggressive shots.
Root and Stokes built a crucial 50-run partnership off 100 balls, ensuring that England kept India at bay during the latter part of the day. By the close of play, Root had accelerated through the nineties in the final overs and reached 99 not out, just one run shy of a century as stumps were called. England finished the day on 251 for 4, with Joe Root set to resume on 99*.
Brief Scores: England 251/4 (Joe Root 99*, Ollie Pope 44; Nitish Reddy 2-46) vs India.
