 "Rahul and Pant at Lord's during day 2 of third Test vs England")
Despite Jasprit Bumrah’s five-wicket haul, it was all England on Day 2 of the third Test between India and England at Lord’s. The hosts, after posting a challenging 387 runs on the board in the first innings, removed three Indian batters by stumps, reducing them to 145/3. India still trail by 242 runs, with most of their in-form batters, including skipper Shubman Gill, already back in the pavilion. However, with KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant still at the crease, India will feel they’ve clawed their way back into the contest with a solid start on Day 3.
Earlier, the first session of Day 2 began with Joe Root striking a boundary off the first ball to bring up his 37th Test century, moving to fifth on the all-time list for most centuries in the format. However, just 12 balls later, Jasprit Bumrah knocked over Ben Stokes’ stumps for 44, ending a crucial 88-run fifth-wicket stand.
India nearly had another breakthrough in the next over when Jamie Smith edged Mohammed Siraj to KL Rahul at second slip, but the chance was spilled. Smith capitalised immediately, taking a single off the next ball to complete 100 Test runs in just 21 innings — equalling South Africa’s Quinton de Kock as the fastest wicketkeeper-batter to the milestone.
England had little time to settle as Bumrah struck again in the very next over, bowling Root for 104 with a peach of a delivery and then dismissing Chris Woakes for a golden duck. Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse then mounted a resilient response, adding a solid half-century stand for the eighth wicket.
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Smith went on to notch another Test half-century as England added 102 runs in the session while losing three key wickets.
The second session mirrored the first, with India striking early again. Siraj removed Jamie Smith (51), caught behind, and Bumrah followed it up by dismissing Jofra Archer (4) to push England to the brink of collapse.
There was a brief injury scare for India as skipper Shubman Gill required medical attention but was cleared to continue after a quick check. Meanwhile, Brydon Carse continued his counterattack, reaching his maiden Test half-century with a six over long-on off Siraj. But the pacer had the last laugh, removing Carse for 56 to end England’s innings at 387.
India’s response with the bat got off to a rocky start as in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal fell for just 13 in the second over to Jofra Archer, who was playing his first Test in four years. However, KL Rahul and Karun Nair steadied the ship and batted out the remainder of the session without further loss.
In the final session, England struck early as Joe Root took a stunning one-handed catch at slip off Ben Stokes to dismiss Karun Nair on 40. India’s skipper Shubman Gill couldn’t capitalise on his form and was removed for 16 by Chris Woakes, leaving India in a tricky position.
But KL Rahul held firm and brought up his 19th Test fifty, keeping India afloat. He remained unbeaten on 53, supported by Rishabh Pant (19*), as India added 101 more runs in the session while losing two wickets.
India 1st Innings Scorecard after Day 2:
| India 1st Inning | ||||||
| 145-3 (43 ov) CRR:3.37 | ||||||
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | c H Brook b J Archer | 13 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 162.5 |
| KL Rahul | Not out | 53 | 113 | 5 | 0 | 46.9 |
| Karun Nair | c J Root b B Stokes | 40 | 62 | 4 | 0 | 64.52 |
| Shubman Gill (C) | c JL Smith b C Woakes | 16 | 44 | 2 | 0 | 36.36 |
| Rishabh Pant (WK) | Not out | 19 | 33 | 3 | 0 | 57.58 |
| Extras | 4 (b 1, Ib 1, w 0, nb 2, p 0) | |||||
| Total | 145 (3 wkts, 43 Ov) | |||||
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | NB | ECO |
| Chris Woakes | 13 | 1 | 56 | 1 | 0 | 4.31 |
| Jofra Archer | 10 | 3 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 2.2 |
| Brydon Carse | 8 | 1 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 3.38 |
| Ben Stokes | 6 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 2.67 |
| Shoaib Bashir | 6 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 3.67 |
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