LONDON: England captain Joe Root made it back-to-back tons of as he continued to maintain India at bay within the second Take a look at at Lord’s on Saturday.
At tea on the third day, England had been 314-5, simply 50 behind India’s first-innings 364.
Root was 132 not out, having been the one England batsman to move fifty within the rain-marred drawn first Take a look at of this five-match collection at Trent Bridge final week with innings of 64 and 109.
On Saturday, nonetheless, he was ably assisted in a fourth-wicket partnership of 121 by Jonny Bairstow till his Yorkshire team-mate gave his innings away on 57.
Jos Buttler was then out for 23 however the recalled Moeen Ali was unbeaten on 20 at tea.
At lunch, England had been 216-Three with Root 89 not and Bairstow 51 not out.
However simply earlier than the arrival of the brand new ball, Bairstow fell right into a clearly signposted hooking lure — India’s quicks had been repeatedly bowling brief — when he gloved an tried pull off Mohammed Siraj, with the ball ballooning to India captain Virat Kohli within the slips.
It was a careless manner for Bairstow’s first fifty in 20 Take a look at innings to finish.
After India took the brand new ball, Root’s fast single off Jasprit Bumrah noticed him to a fourth Take a look at hundred at Lord’s off 200 balls, together with 9 fours Root’s 22nd Take a look at century equalled the tallies of Walter Hammond, Colin Cowdrey, Geoffrey Boycott and Ian Bell.
Solely Kevin Pietersen (23) and Alastair Prepare dinner (33) have scored extra tons of at this degree for England.
It was an all of the extra creditable innings given the continued strains imposed by Covid-19, with Root having to deal with the absence of key all-rounder Ben Stokes, attributable to psychological well being points, and Jofra Archer, with the quick bowler dominated out for the remainder of this 12 months with an elbow damage.
As well as, star batsman Root knew that ought to he get out cheaply an England collapse was all too possible.
Quickly after reaching three figures, Root turned the second-youngest batsman in historical past to 9,000 Take a look at runs on the age of 30 years and 227 days, simply behind Prepare dinner (30 years and 155 days).
Buttler scored in usually brisk style till he over-ambitiously tried to drive a full-length inswinger from Ishant Sharma and was bowled between bat and pad.
England had been now 283-5, nonetheless 81 runs adrift.
They resumed on Saturday on 119-3, a deficit of 245 runs and had been once more left seeking to Root, 48 not out in a single day, after opener Rory Burns had fallen for a well-made 49.
Not for the primary time, he had are available in to bat with England in bother at 23-2 — the 15th time of their 19 Take a look at innings this 12 months that they had misplaced their second wicket earlier than reaching 50.
India paceman Mohammed Siraj had executed the harm, eradicating Dom Sibley and the recalled Haseeb Hameed, out first ball, with successive deliveries.
Root, nonetheless, accomplished an 82-ball fifty with a classy square-driven 4 off Siraj.
Bairstow, who began the day on six not out, struck commanding straight-driven fours off Mohammed Shami and Siraj earlier than a clipped single off Ishant noticed him to a 90-ball fifty together with six boundaries.
Scoreboard
INDIA (1st Innings) 364 (Ok.L. Rahul 129, R.G. Sharma 83, V. Kohli 42, R.A. Jadeja 40; J.M. Anderson 5-62).
ENGLAND (1st Innings, in a single day 119-3):
R.J. Burns lbw b Shami 49
D.P. Sibley c Rahul b Siraj 11
Haseeb Hameed b Siraj 0
J.E. Root not out 132
J.M. Bairstow c Kohli b Siraj 57
J.C. Buttler b I. Sharma 23
Moeen Ali not out 20
EXTRAS (B-4, LB-3, W-5, NB-10) 22
TOTAL (for 5 wkts, 98 overs) 314
FALL OF WKTS: 1-23, 2-23, 3-108, 4-229, 5-283.
TO BAT: S.M. Curran, O.E. Robinson, M.A. Wooden, J.M. Anderson.
BOWLING (to-date): I. Sharma 20-2-60-1 (1nb); Bumrah 20-6-62-0 (7nb); Mohammed Shami 21-3-87-1; Mohammed Siraj 23-4-71-3; Jadeja 14-1-27-0.
Revealed in Daybreak, August 15th , 2021
