LONDON: The cricketing world on Monday witnessed India’s miraculous comeback from defeat to a legendary victory. India defeated England by 151 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the ongoing five-match test series.
It was an enthralling Day 5 at Lord’s Cricket Ground, with Indian pace bowlers displaying complete dominance on the ground with bat and bowl. The Indian pace attack bowled out England for 120 runs as they were chasing 272 runs in 60 overs, resulting in a historic victory.
After winning the toss, England captain Joe Root chose to bat first, and Indian openers thrashed all of England’s hopes, with Rohit Sharma (83) and KL Rahul (129) putting on a 126-run partnership. Except for Virat Kohli’s 42 runs, India’s middle order failed in the first innings. Later, Rishabh Pant (37) and Ravindra Jadeja (40) led the team to a solid 364-run total. England’s star pacer James Anderson grabbed his 31st five-wicket haul, while Robinson and Mark Wood both took two wickets.
England responded in a similar way, scoring 391 runs in the first innings. Skipper Root’s classic performance of 280 runs, along with contributions from Rory Burns (49) and Johny Bairstow (57), gave the hosts a 27-run lead. Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, and Mohammed Shami took four, three, and two wickets, respectively.
The second inning heated up as there were verbal fights on the field between players from both teams, which continued until the end of the match. It was a disappointing start for India, as both of their openers failed to provide a great start for the team. However, Cheteshwar Pujara (45) and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane (61) carried the team.
After losing both of their wickets, India’s only hope was Jadeja and Pant, however this time there was no Jadeja show and all hopes were laid on the wicket keeper. Rishabh Pant (22) and Ishant Sharma (16) then fought hard to ensure a competitive total, but were unable. All Indian fans’ hopes of winning the game were dashed at this point, and it was all about saving the Test from here.
But who would have thought that Indian pace duo Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah’s greatest performances were yet to come? When all chances of victory were crushed and there was worry of not having enough runs on the board to defend, these two bowlers set up an 89-run partnership and revived all hopes of winning the second test match. Shami scored a brilliant half-century (56) while Bumrah scored 34 runs.
India declared the innings after they had scored 298 runs and had a 271-run lead. India tightened their fielding and bowling from the start of the game, resulting in two early wickets. England tried to win till Root (33) was on the crease, but after his fall, it was just to save the match for them. Indian bowlers were able to pick wickets in regular intervals. Later, Jos Butler (25) and Ollie Robinson (9) formed a partnership, but it wasn’t enough to draw the match. Siraj’s heroics at the end, taking four wickets and Anderson’s final wicket, sealed India’s victory.
The first test match of the series ended in a draw because the final day of the match was completely spoiled by rain. The series has three matches left, with the third taking place on August 25th in Headingley, Leeds.
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