KL Rahul’s unbeaten half-century and Rishabh Pant’s confident return after injury guided India to 145/3 at stumps on Day 2 of the third Test match against England at Lord’s. Rahul remained not out on 53, while Pant was unbeaten on 19, as India trail England by 242 runs.
India began the final session at 44/1, with Rahul and Karun Nair resuming their innings. Both batters initially played positively, taking their partnership to 50 runs off 95 balls. However, Nair, returning to Test cricket after an eight-year gap, failed once again to convert his promising start, edging a delivery from England captain Ben Stokes to Joe Root at slip. Nair scored 40 from 62 balls with four boundaries, ending a valuable 61-run partnership. India’s score was then 74/2.
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Captain Shubman Gill joined Rahul in the middle, and together they guided India past the 100-run mark cautiously. Their stand of 33 was broken by Chris Woakes, who induced a faint outside edge from Gill, comfortably caught by wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. Gill departed for 16, leaving India at 107/3.
Pant’s arrival provided a significant morale boost for India. Despite concerns about his recent finger injury, Pant showed no discomfort, confidently striking three quick boundaries against spinner Shoaib Bashir. Rahul, steady at the other end, brought up his second fifty of the series from 97 balls, hitting five fours. Both batters ensured no further setbacks occurred, steering India safely to the close of play.
Earlier, India bowled out England for 387 runs in the second session. Mohammed Siraj dismissed Jamie Smith for 51, caught behind by substitute keeper Dhruv Jurel. Brydon Carse provided England with crucial late runs, scoring an aggressive 56 off 83 deliveries, including a towering six off Siraj. However, Siraj eventually bowled him out with an excellent yorker. Jasprit Bumrah claimed his maiden five-wicket haul at Lord’s, ending with figures of 5/74, including the dismissal of England’s returning pacer Jofra Archer.
At the start of Day 2, England resumed their innings at 251/4, with Joe Root on 99* and Ben Stokes on 39*. Root immediately reached his century—the 37th of his Test career—with a boundary off the first delivery. Bumrah soon struck for India, bowling Stokes for 44, and then removing Root for 104. Bumrah quickly added Chris Woakes for a golden duck. Smith and Carse then pushed England past the 350-run mark, setting up a competitive total.
England’s bowling innings started impressively, with Archer dismissing opener Yashasvi Jaiswal early. However, Rahul and Nair steadied the innings, helping India reach tea at 44/1 before resuming their innings in the evening session.
Brief Scores:
England: 387 (Joe Root 104, Brydon Carse 56; Jasprit Bumrah 5/74)
India: 145/3 (KL Rahul 53*, Karun Nair 40; Jofra Archer 1/22)
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