Root's 99 not out keeps India at bay in third Test

New Straits Times

3 days ago

LONDON:England great Joe Root's unbeaten 99 checked India's progress on Thursday's attritional opening day of the third Test at Lord's.
England were 251-4 at stumps, with Root coming in when they were faltering at 44-2 after paceman Nitish Kumar Reddy struck twice in his first over to remove openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley.
Not for the first time in his 156 Test-career, the 34-year-old Root dug England out of a hole, with the team's run-rate of just above three an over well below their usual 'Bazball' standards.
England captain Ben Stokes, who won the toss at a sun-drenched Lord's, was 39 not out after helping Root, his predecessor as skipper, add an unbroken 79 for the fifth wicket.
Stokes appeared to tweak his groin before the close, a worrying sign for England given his responsibilities as an all-rounder and one with potential implications for the workload of fast bowler Jofra Archer, recalled for this match after more than four years of injury-induced Test exile.
Root earlier shared a grinding partnership of 109 in 35 overs with Ollie Pope, who made 44 after almost being out for a golden duck.
"It's not always been the way we've gone about our cricket, but I think long term in the game hopefully that will reward us if we can kick on tomorrow," Pope told Sky Sports.
Much of the pre-match talk had focused on the return of Jasprit Bumrah, the world's top-ranked Test bowler, after he was rested for India's 336-run thrashing of England at Edgbaston last week that levelled the five-match series at 1-1.
Yet it was Reddy, the fourth seamer deployed by India captain Shubman Gill on Thursday, who struck twice in four balls from the Nursery End, where the Lord's slope take the ball away from a right-handed batsman, on the way to figures of 2-46 in 14 overs.
With his third ball, the 22-year-old had left-hander Duckett (23) caught down the legside by diving wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant off a gloved pull.
The often skittish Pope then almost fell for a first-ball nought when he threw his bat at an outswinger, with Gill unable to hold a tough, low chance in the gully.
With the last ball of the over, Reddy produced a superb full-length delivery that swung late and straightened before taking Crawley's outside edge to give Pant a simple catch as the Kent batsman fell for 18.
"I feel great bowling from that (Nursery) end," Reddy, playing at Lord's for the first time, told reporters after stumps. "I don't know much about the slope, but from that end when I bowled it's been moving a lot, and after pitching also it's going good."
Root, second behind England team-mate Harry Brook in the global Test batting rankings, was typically assured as he went to fifty with a glance through fine leg off Reddy, his seventh four in 102 balls faced.
But Pope, to the first ball after tea, drove loosely at left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, with reserve wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, on the field after Pant suffered a finger injury, holding an excellent shoulder-high catch off a fast-travelling edge.
New batsman Brook only managed 11 before he was bowled between bat and pad by Bumrah, who had a miserly stumps return of 1-35 in 18 overs.
England were now 172-4 as Stokes, without a Test hundred since an Ashes century against Australia at Lord's two years ago, walked out to bat.
The left-hander had made 27 when Reddy's tight lbw review turned down on umpire's call.
Root continued to bat with his customary class, an on-driven four off Reddy taking him to 80 before play was held up when ladybirds descended upon the ground.
And with Stokes, hampered in his running and unable to get off strike as he defended Akash Deep's final two balls of the day, Root was left one run shy of what would be his 37th Test hundred and a record-extending eighth at Lord's.