Root Anchors England After Tactical Shift at Lord’s; India Left Searching for Breakthroughs

 

After their loss at Edgbaston, England changed their approach dramatically at Lord’s — and it showed. At stumps on Day 1 of the Test, England stood at a solid 251 for 4, with Joe Root unbeaten on 99 and captain Ben Stokes holding firm at 39. Root is now on the brink of his 37th Test century, and the hosts seem well-placed after a patient day’s play.

The tone was set right from the toss. Ben Stokes opted to bat first, a clear indication that England had moved away from their aggressive "Bazball" style and were now prepared to grind it out. The shift was also evident in the way openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley approached their innings. Against the returning Jasprit Bumrah and the pace duo of Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj — who had taken 17 wickets between them in the last Test — the English openers curbed their natural instincts and chose caution over flair.

Despite a few risky strokes from Crawley, India’s disciplined pace attack kept things tight. The openers looked to have settled in when debutant Nitish Reddy produced a breakthrough, removing both Duckett (23) and Crawley (18)  in his very first over to jolt England. Duckett was caught down leg side & Crawley was caught behind off a vicious outswinger 

That brought Joe Root and Ollie Pope together — both under pressure after failing to deliver at Edgbaston. Root, playing with a straight bat and avoiding his trademark reverse sweeps early on, signaled a return to his classical style. Pope gave him solid support through the afternoon session, and the Indian bowlers toiled without success between lunch and tea.

Akash Deep, the hero of the previous match, went wicketless on Day 1 and was also the most expensive among the Indian pacers. However, he bowled with control and was unlucky not to find the edge or get LBW decisions to go his way. Bumrah, too, had to work hard — having gone wicketless in the second innings at Headingley and missing the Edgbaston Test, he finally struck in his 15th over at Lord’s, dismissing Harry Brook for 11.

It was Ravindra Jadeja who provided the initial breakthrough after tea, trapping Pope LBW for 44 with the first ball of the session. Bumrah followed up by removing Brook clean bowled for 11. For a moment, it seemed India had clawed their way back. But Root, now batting fluently, found an able partner in Ben Stokes. The England captain, despite suffering a hamstring niggle that affected his running between the wickets, showed admirable patience and composure.

Root, on the other hand, was at his determined best. He waited 150 balls before attempting his first reverse sweep — a testament to his commitment to build a big innings. His 99* off 191 deliveries is not just a return to form but a potential match-defining knock unless India can remove him early on Day 2.

India’s worries, however, extended beyond the scoreboard. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant injured the ring finger of his left hand while collecting a Bumrah delivery in the second session. After receiving medical attention, he had to leave the field and could not resume wicketkeeping duties. Dhruv Jurel took over behind the stumps for the remainder of the day. Though Pant’s injury appeared painful, the extent of the damage is yet to be confirmed. With India relying heavily on Pant the batter, his availability with the bat remains a major concern.

While Root’s resurgence is a big boost for England, it also presents a pressing challenge for India. If they fail to dismiss him early on the second morning, the match could start slipping away rapidly.