KL Rahul produced a gritty unbeaten half-century to help India close Day Two of the third Test at Lord’s on 145/3 in 43 overs, trailing England by 242 runs in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series.
Rahul’s calm and composed 53 not out off 113 deliveries, laced with five boundaries, held India together after early blows on a challenging second day. Partnering with Rishabh Pant, who batted with strapping on his injured left index finger to remain unbeaten on 19, Rahul ensured the visitors didn’t unravel under pressure from England’s bowlers.
Earlier in the day, Jasprit Bumrah was the standout performer, claiming 5 for 74 in 27 overs to bowl out England for 387. It was Bumrah’s 13th five-wicket haul in Tests — his second at Lord’s — and saw him surpass Kapil Dev’s record for the most five-fors by an Indian bowler in overseas Tests.
Joe Root was once again England’s cornerstone with a sparkling 104 — his 37th Test century, 11th against India, and eighth at Lord’s. He reached the milestone off the very first ball of the morning, carving Bumrah behind square. In doing so, Root overtook Rahul Dravid and Steve Smith on the list of most Test centuries.
But Bumrah roared back, dismissing Ben Stokes with a peach that angled in and clipped the top of off-stump. He then got Root with a full delivery that jagged in slightly and chopped onto the stumps. The pacer completed a stunning burst by removing Chris Woakes with an outside edge — confirmed via review — to reduce England to 271/7.
However, a spirited 84-run stand for the eighth wicket between Jamie Smith (51) and Brydon Carse (56) lifted the hosts. Smith, dropped on five by Rahul at slip, made the most of the reprieve, while Carse notched up his maiden Test fifty.
India, meanwhile, contributed to their own woes with 31 extras. They also had to request a change of the new ball twice — once after just 10.3 overs and again 48 deliveries later, which seemed to disrupt their rhythm.
Smith struck three crisp boundaries off Siraj and Bumrah before eventually falling to the former after lunch, nicking behind to substitute keeper Dhruv Jurel. Carse’s defiance ended when Bumrah sneaked one through Jofra Archer’s defence to complete his five-for, and Siraj wrapped things up by bowling Carse around his legs.
India’s reply began with Yashasvi Jaiswal punching Woakes through the covers for four, but his stay was short-lived. Jofra Archer, making his Test return, had him edging to slip in his first over back.
Rahul, in contrast, played the waiting game, respecting the conditions and leaving judiciously. Karun Nair, playing his first Test innings in years, showed glimpses of his old touch with boundaries off Archer and Carse, reaching 40 before falling to a sensational one-handed diving catch by Joe Root at slip — his 211th Test catch, moving past Dravid’s tally.
Shubman Gill struggled to get going and was undone by a wobble-seam delivery from Woakes, edging behind to Jamie Smith with the keeper standing up to the stumps.
Pant arrived with a heavily strapped finger but launched a counterattack, striking three quick boundaries, including a slog sweep off Shoaib Bashir. At the other end, Rahul brought up his fifty off 97 balls and calmly navigated India to stumps alongside Pant.
The match remains finely balanced, with India eyeing a solid partnership on Day Three to bridge the deficit.
Brief scores:
England 387 in 112.3 overs (Joe Root 104, Brydon Carse 56; Jasprit Bumrah 5-74, Nitish Kumar Reddy 2-62)
India 145/3 in 43 overs (KL Rahul 53 not out, Karun Nair 40; Ben Stokes 1-16, Jofra Archer 1-22)
India trail by 242 runs.
