England made a solid start on the slow pitch at Lord’s. At the end of Day 1, they were 251/4, with Joe Root unbeaten on 99. The main highlights of the day were Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, and Joe Root. Reddy took the wickets of both England openers in his very first over. However, the way Bumrah bowled Harry Brook truly stole the spotlight.

Shubman Gill jokingly announced the return of “boring Test cricket,” and England followed the cue, not minding the label at all. They batted at a much slower pace than usual—just 3.02 runs per over—on the slowest full-scoring day since the Bazball era began. Joe Root ended the day unbeaten on 99, almost reaching his 37th Test century and his eighth at Lord’s.

Banter on the field

There was plenty of chatter during the match. Mohammed Siraj was heard through the stump mic saying, “Baz-Baz-Bazball! Come on, I want to see it,” as England abandoned their typical aggressive strokes. Gill also joined in, teasing his teammates after Ollie Pope chose to leave a delivery, saying, “No more entertaining cricket, lads. Welcome back to the boring Test cricket.”

Slow pitch changes England's approach

Ben Stokes won the toss for the third time in a row and chose to bat, hoping for another dominant day. But the pitch was slow, and India bowled with discipline. Jasprit Bumrah returned to the side and helped restrict England’s attacking game.

Though England managed to gain some control, India still held them back. Siraj and Akash Deep, the stars from Edgbaston, did not take any wickets. But Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and Nitish Kumar Reddy—who picked up two wickets in one over—kept India in the contest.

Root steady as ever, Pope fights hard

Nitish Kumar Reddy made a strong impact by removing both openers in one over. He dismissed Ben Duckett with a short ball that Duckett pulled into Pant’s gloves. Then, he bowled a brilliant outswinger to get Zak Crawley caught behind.

Joe Root walked in immediately after that and played with great focus. He shared a 109-run partnership with Ollie Pope for the third wicket. Later, Root and Stokes added an unbeaten 79 for the fifth wicket. However, Stokes seemed to suffer a groin issue, which could concern England moving forward.

Injuries on both sides

India faced their own injury blow. Rishabh Pant was hit on the index finger while collecting a delivery from Bumrah. He stayed off the field for the last 49 overs. But Dhruv Jurel stepped up well as his replacement. He took a fine catch to dismiss Pope right after the tea break when Jadeja found Pope’s outside edge.

England adapt to a lifeless pitch

After the heavy defeat in Edgbaston, coach Brendon McCullum had asked for a pitch with “plenty of life.” But the Lord’s surface turned out to be slow and flat. It was clear from the start. Duckett edged one to Pant early, and Bumrah asked the slip cordon to come closer.

Duckett was hit on the body several times in the opening hour. Crawley looked unsettled, kept changing his guard, and played risky strokes. He hit a few cover drives but also edged awkwardly.

Reddy, who had gone wicketless in Birmingham, finally made a breakthrough. Pope had a lucky escape when Gill dropped a sharp chance at gully. But he survived till lunch and then settled in with Root. They went 28 balls without scoring during the second session, showing how cautious their approach was.

Root cleverly stayed at the non-striker's end for most of Bumrah’s spell. He faced only two balls from Bumrah after lunch and rotated the strike well to let Pope handle the rest.

India strike back in final session

The breakthrough came just after tea. Pope tried to cut Jadeja but edged it to Jurel. He looked heartbroken, leaning on his bat after losing his wicket. Soon after, Bumrah bowled a sharp delivery that moved in and knocked over Harry Brook’s off stump. It was a classic battle between the world’s top Test bowler and batter.

Stokes started confidently with two back-to-back boundaries but seemed troubled by spin again. He narrowly survived an lbw decision reviewed through DRS. Later, he was clearly uncomfortable and received treatment after taking a blow while leaving a delivery.

Root inches close to hundred

While others struggled, Root looked calm and in control. He played his strokes patiently and only once went for an aggressive slog-sweep off Jadeja. In the final over, he needed just one boundary to complete his hundred. However, he only managed three runs and ended the day unbeaten on 99.

History, though, is in his favor. The last 16 players who went to bed on 99 in Test matches all reached their centuries the next morning.

Brief Scorecard