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England vs India, 2nd Test Day 2: Root shines after Anderson leads hosts' fightback with a five-for at Lord's

Joe Root again came to the rescue as England threatened to squander the foothold James Anderson's five-wicket haul had gained them against India on Friday.

England vs India, 2nd Test Day 2: Root shines after Anderson leads hosts fightback with a five-for at Lords

London, Aug 13: Indian pacers picked up three wickets but England batsmen reached 119/3 at the close of play on day two of the second Test here at Lord's on Friday (August 13). Joe Root remained unbeaten on 48 with his Yorkshire teammate Jonny Bairstow (6*) as England trail India's first innings total of 364 by 245 runs.

Opener Rory Burns - who was under scanner due to his consistently poor show with the bat - batted valiantly but the left-handed batsman was slightly unlucky to fell just one short of a well-deserved fifty. He was trapped plumb in front by senior India quick Mohammed Shami. The batsman reviewed it unsuccessfully and wasted a DRS as well. Burns was the third English wicket to perish after he shared a stand of 85-runs with his skipper Root, who seems head and shoulders above the rest of the English batters in the side.

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Earlier in the innings, England lost the first two wickets for 23 when young India pacer Mohammed Siraj dismissed opener Dominic Sibley and comeback man Haseeb Hameed off successive deliveries and pushed the hosts on the backfoot. Sibley was dismissed for 11 in a similar fashion as the first Test in Trent Bridge. While Hameed was clean bowled on the first ball.

Earlier in the day, led by their biggest match-winner James Anderson (5-62), England restricted India to 364 in their first essay.

Some excellent work with the ball allowed England to begin their reply in the morning session on day two of the second Test, despite India having resumed on 276-3.

KL Rahul was gone early, adding just two as he departed for 129, and only Rishabh Pant (37) and Ravindra Jadeja (40) offered any serious resistance thereafter as the tourists could only muster 364. They could only add 88 runs for the next seven wickets and England made a stunning comeback on the second day.

With the bat, it was once again Root who ensured England remained in contention at the end of a promising day, despite Siraj's spell. India had quickly set about undoing their hard work on Thursday as the long-awaited wicket of Rahul went to Ollie Robinson from the second ball before Ajinkya Rahane then followed to Anderson in the next over.

The tourists did then threaten to build a third big partnership until another timely intervention when Pant paid for his aggressive approach, swiping at a Mark Wood delivery that carried into Jos Buttler's gloves - again, one became two, with Mohammed Shami's jaunt to the crease a brief one.

It fell to Anderson to wrap up the innings, trapping Ishant Sharma lbw, earning a nick behind off Jasprit Bumrah's glove to complete his five-for and then getting underneath a wild Jadeja swing off the bowling of Wood.

England started steadily enough in reply, only to have Sibley pick out Rahul at short mid-wicket soon after tea.

The recalled Hameed departed quickly to a straight one to bring out Root, who teased two wasted reviews out of opposite number Virat Kohli before settling in to put on an 84-run partnership with Burns - a stand that was eventually broken when the opener went lbw.

Anderson was supposed to be injured, of course, but did not show it in a typically influential outing. His 31st five-for was his seventh at Lord's, tying Trent Bridge for his favourite ground in this sense.

And, at 39 years and 14 days, Anderson became the oldest pace bowler to take five wickets in a Test innings since 1951. Only New Zealand legend Richard Hadlee, against England in July 1990, had also taken five at the age of 39 in the intervening period.

With 48 here, Root moves ahead of Gooch (8,900) and now trails only Alastair Cook (12,472). The England captain has scored 1,000 or more runs against five Test nations, but India (2,011) tops the list of opponents.

This track record clearly played on Kohli's mind in the final session as he twice reviewed for lbw when on both occasions he might have held fire against another player in the England side.

(With inputs from agencies)

Story first published: Saturday, August 14, 2021, 0:01 [IST]
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