IND vs ENG Test 3 Day 1 Stumps: India Struggle to Capitalize as Root’s 99* Guides England to 251/4 on Day 1 at Lord’s

England ended the first day of the third Test at Lord’s in a commanding position, reaching 251 for 4 at stumps thanks to a determined and unbeaten 99 from Joe Root. The former England captain, in fine touch, stitched key partnerships with Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes to help the hosts recover after early setbacks in the morning session.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, England’s openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett initially resisted the Indian pace attack. Despite some probing deliveries from Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep on a grassy but slow pitch, they made it through the first hour safely, reaching 35 without loss after 13 overs. However, the breakthrough came soon after the drinks break when India brought in all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. In a double-strike that shifted momentum, Reddy dismissed both Duckett and Crawley, caught behind by Rishabh Pant, reducing England to 44 for 2.

Duckett was dismissed for 23 from 40 balls, and Crawley fell for 18 off 43 deliveries, both showing glimpses of form before giving away their wickets. Joe Root then walked in to join Ollie Pope, and the duo began to rebuild the innings. Root wasted no time, striking two boundaries in Mohammed Siraj’s over to take England to 50 in under 17 overs. Their partnership blossomed as both batters showed patience and solid technique against a disciplined Indian bowling attack.

The Root-Pope partnership, marked by control and resilience, helped England cross the 100-run mark in 35.4 overs and 150 in 47.3. Their 100-run stand came in 193 balls. Root reached his half-century off 102 balls and continued to anchor the innings, while Pope contributed 44 off 104 deliveries before being dismissed. Ravindra Jadeja broke the stand on the very first ball of the final session, drawing a sharp catch behind the stumps from substitute wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, who had replaced an injured Rishabh Pant.

Pant had sustained a finger injury during the second session while keeping to Bumrah and eventually left the field. The BCCI later confirmed he had been hit on his left index finger and would be monitored by the medical team.

Following Pope’s dismissal, Harry Brook came in and started positively but was undone by a sharp nip-backer from Bumrah, which crashed into his stumps. Brook fell for 11 off 20 balls, and England slipped to 172 for 4.

With England in need of consolidation, skipper Ben Stokes joined Root and the pair ensured there were no further setbacks. Stokes played cautiously while Root edged toward his 30th Test century. A single from Stokes brought up England’s 200 in the 64th over. The duo added a composed 79-run unbeaten partnership, with Root finishing the day just one run short of a well-earned century. Stokes remained not out on 39.

England showed a more traditional Test cricket approach on Day 1, stepping back from their usual aggressive ‘Bazball’ style to build partnerships and play out testing spells. Despite India’s early breakthroughs and disciplined bowling, England’s middle-order response put them in a strong position heading into Day 2.

Brief scores: England 251/4 in 90 overs (Joe Root 99*, Ollie Pope 44; Nitish Kumar Reddy 2/46) vs India.