India vs England third Test, Day 2: Jasprit Bumrah bags five, but England post testing 387 at Lord’s

Dubai: Jasprit Bumrah marked his return with a five-wicket haul at Lord’s, but half-centuries from Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse helped England post a competitive 387 on a pitch offering pace and bounce.

After tea, Mohammed Siraj removed Smith with a simple edge to Dhruv Jurel, while Bumrah dismissed Jofra Archer to complete his five-for and etch his name onto the Lord’s honours board.

Carse, however, continued to play the innings of his life, bringing up his maiden Test half-century at a crucial juncture. He was eventually bowled for 56 after a vital 17-run partnership with Shoaib Bashir, giving England the upper hand going into the next phase of the match.

Yashasvi Jaiswal — who will face his Rajasthan Royals teammate Jofra Archer — and KL Rahul, eager to make amends for a costly dropped catch, will need to provide India with a solid start. The pitch remains dry but lively, and the new ball is expected to offer enough movement for England to challenge the Indian top order on a warm afternoon.

Jasprit Bumrah produced a dream spell on Friday morning, claiming three quick wickets — including overnight batters Joe Root and Ben Stokes — to put England firmly on the back foot early on Day 2 of the third Test at Lord’s. At lunch, however, England have recovered to reach 353 for seven.

Root reached his 37th Test century with a cheeky edge off the first ball of the day, guiding it between slip and gully. But what looked like the start of another dominant session for England was quickly undone by a Bumrah masterclass. The Indian pace spearhead first dismissed Stokes with a ball that nipped back off the famous Lord’s slope, then removed Root and Chris Woakes off successive deliveries to leave England tottering at 271 for seven.

India could have tightened the noose further had KL Rahul held on to a regulation catch at second slip when Jamie Smith was on 5. That miss proved costly as he moved to 51 not out. The in-form batter cashed in and, along with Brydon Carse (33), built an unbroken 82-run partnership for the eighth wicket — steering England past the 300-run mark and regaining the momentum.

Smith, capitalising on the reprieve, brought up his second half-century of the series. He has now compiled scores of 40, 44, 184 and 88** in the series, continuing to frustrate India’s bowlers. The pitch too has changed character — offering more pace, bounce and seam movement — and yet the pair have handled it admirably.

Rishabh Pant remained off the field as he continues to nurse a finger injury, with Dhruv Jurel doing a commendable job behind the stumps in his absence. Pant’s presence will be crucial for India when they come out to bat.

India might also rue their decision to request a change of the new ball, which was doing plenty in the morning. Skipper Shubman Gill was visibly displeased with the replacement ball, which didn’t behave like the one it substituted.

This eighth-wicket stand is already drawing comparisons to the famous 89-run partnership between Bumrah and Shami at the same venue in 2021 — a stand that turned the tide and helped India to a 151-run victory.

Bumrah will still have a chance to etch his name on the Lord’s honours board with one more wicket.

As Joe Root returns to the crease on Day 2 of the third Test, he stands just one run away from notching up his 37th Test century — a milestone that would take him past Australia’s Steve Smith and place him fifth on the all-time list of century-makers in Test cricket led by Sachin Tendulkar with 51. But standing in his way is a fired-up Indian pace attack with a second new ball and favourable morning conditions at their disposal.

After India’s comeback win in Edgbaston, the third Test has shaped into another tightly contested affair. England, abandoning their trademark Bazball aggression, resorted to traditional Test cricket on the opening day, crawling to 251 for four — their slowest full-day scoring rate since the start of the Bazball era. It was a grind, but a necessary one, as Root held the innings together with a composed, unbeaten 99.

The 34-year-old was unruffled even as Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj playfully challenged him to “show some Bazball.” Instead, Root responded with a knock that was all about resilience — mixing caution with calculated strokeplay to help England recover from early blows.

Those blows came courtesy of Nitish Kumar Reddy, whose impressive 14-over spell yielded figures of 2 for 46 and reduced England to 44 for two in the first session. The 21-year-old removed both openers and earned praise for his control and stamina.

“I thought he did quite well in Australia — got a hundred with the bat and bowled decently, even if he didn’t take many wickets,” said former India captain Anil Kumble on JioHotstar’s Match Centre Live. “What you need from someone like him is to break partnerships and give the fast bowlers a breather while still maintaining control. He bowled nearly 14 overs in a spell — that shows fitness and control.”

Kumble urged India to show faith in the all-rounder: “He’s young, he’s a capable batter with a century under his belt, and he’s a sharp fielder. India should persist with him and avoid the temptation to chop and change.”

India’s bowlers operated with discipline throughout the day. While Jadeja and Bumrah picked up a wicket each, there was some surprise that Jadeja, after removing Ollie Pope, didn’t continue to bowl to Ben Stokes and instead changed ends.

“It was evident right from the start that it was going to be a grind for the batters,” Kumble said. “The openers struggled to score off the new ball, and this was the kind of pitch where you had to work hard for your runs. I thought the Indian bowlers bowled really good areas consistently — that’s one of the reasons India managed to restrict England to 251.

“England will be fairly satisfied with just four wickets down. I do think India missed a trick after Jadeja got that breakthrough. India will probably reflect tonight and feel that one or two more wickets could have put the match firmly in their favour. As it stands, it’s evenly poised.”

With Root on the cusp of another milestone and the Indian seamers gearing up for a fresh burst on a pitch showing signs of variable bounce, Day 2 is set up for a gripping morning session — one that could tip the balance in either direction.