England finished day 1 at 251 runs for the loss of four wickets as Joe Root finished unbeaten on 99 runs at stumps. England skipper Ben Stokes was also unbeaten on 39 runs off 102 balls as they safely ensured no further loss of wickets.
England won the toss and opted to bat first for a change. The decision to bat first by England was a shocking one for Shubman Gill. Both teams made one change with Jofra Archer returning for England and Jasprit Bumrah for India.
The first session was headlined by Nitish Kumar Reddy's double-strikes in the 14th over of England's innings. He first dismissed Ben Duckett (23 runs off 40 balls) down the leg side getting him caught by Rishabh Pant. In the very next ball, he dismissed Zak Crawley (18 runs off 43 balls) with a peach as the ball left the right-hander after pitching and Crawley getting a feather. Reddy's big strikes meant that India owned the first session.
It Was A Root-Ready Show On Day 1 At Lord's
Joe Root (99* runs off 191 balls) and Ollie Pope (44 runs off 104 balls) batted throughout the second session keeping the scoreboard ticking and ensuring that the hosts lost no further wickets. From 83 runs for two wickets at lunch, the duo added another 70 runs as England reached 153 runs for two wickets.
In the post-tea session, Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Pope in the very first over after the break. The commentators put down Pope's dismissal to a loss of concentration in the break. Pope edged one to Dhruv Jurel who came in to keep wickets after Rishabh Pant got hit on his left-index finger. Jurel kept for the last session of the day as Pant received medical treatment.
India had another quick breakthrough post-lunch as Bumrah dismissed Harry Brook (11 runs off 20 balls). He dismissed the number-one-ranked Test batter through the gate as the ball went between his pad and bat. Since then Ben Stokes and Root added a partnership of 79 runs off 170 balls.
During their partnership, the duo rode their luck as the pitch had plenty of uneven bounce and they survived a few close calls. Bumrah and co went past Root and Stokes multiple times but they did not lose heart. In the end, they managed a stand that started frustrating the Indian bowlers. Ultimately at the close of play, Root was stranded on 99 runs after India decided to take the new-ball. He needs one more to get his 11th Test ton against India.
England's approach on the opening day of the first Test was completely different to their normal "Bazball" approach. The openers did not try and hit every ball and it needed good balls to get them dismissed. Root and Stokes also understood the situation and curbed their customary "Bazball" approach to score runs. They were very sedate and respected the good balls.
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England Eye A Big First Innings Score
On day 2, the hosts will look to get close to 450-500 runs knowing that India will bat fourth and thus the hosts will be keen on setting up a big first innings total. The pitch is expected to get better for batting in the next few days as well.
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