The first day of all the Tests between England and India so far in the ongoing series has always had talking points. The first Test saw how the Indian batters stood up to the task at Headingley, and the second one at Edgbaston was all about how India would cope without Jasprit Bumrah in their ranks. When it came to the Lord’s Test, we were treated to some classic red-ball cricket, away from the chaos of Bazball.

The day started with the great Sachin Tendulkar ringing the bell to start proceedings after India were put in to bowl by England. The first hour of play was an even battle between bat and ball, as India threatened but couldn’t find a wicket. Then came that over from Nitish Kumar Reddy, where he got the wickets of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley to put the visitors on top. During all this, England seemingly decided to mute Bazball and go for the traditional approach.

Joe Root is the master of it, and he excelled—but the Indian pressure didn’t go away. We saw a passage of play after lunch when England played out 28 dot balls in a stretch as Ollie Pope and Root were treated to some feisty comments from the Indian team.

| Lord’s Test Day 1 Highlights – Scorecard |

The second session went with England not losing a wicket, as Root and Pope stayed strong amidst pressure. Then the game became open once again with a couple of quick wickets before Root and Ben Stokes saw through to the end of the day.

It was a very indifferent day for fans who have followed England over the past few years since Bazball became a thing. There was calmness, and it felt like an old-school day of Test cricket. And it was down to how India bowled and fielded on the day.

But did Day 1 really belong to India?

Good day, but not the best

The underlying feeling of the day for Indian fans was that India bowled well, with Shubman Gill rotating his bowlers effectively. It seemed like he was slowly coming to grips with how to use his bowlers well. The fielding was also great, as India prevented easy singles and ensured the hosts got no easy boundaries.

So, it was a good day. But was it the best? No.

Dinesh Karthik, while talking to Sky Sports, explained that it was good as India controlled the run-scoring on the day. After all, it was one of the slowest innings on Day One of a Test under Bazball. But the wickets remained the issue.

“It was a good day for India but not the best. Good because they controlled the run-scoring—on most Bazball days, regardless of the pitch, England get off to a flier. But four wickets in 82 overs? Could India have done more?”

The fact that Root, one of India’s main tormentors in red-ball cricket, remains at the crease on 99 will have the Indian team management a bit worried, and they will be planning the next move to get him out.

Stuart Broad also felt that if India had got a few breakthroughs with the new ball, it could well have been the day of the visitors. Since that didn’t come to fruition, it was England who won the battle on Day 1.

“With the swing on offer with that second new ball, if India had made a couple of breakthroughs then it was their day.
If I was in India’s changing room opening the bowling, I would have loved three or four overs with that ball to see what could have happened. I think England will be happy only losing four wickets and ultimately, I think it is probably England’s day,” said Broad to Sky Sports.

Day 2 and Bazball threat looms large

Well, let’s be clear—the Bazball threat is well and truly alive. It is something engrained in the psyche of this England side, and they won’t stay away from it for long. They want a quick counter-punch after the Edgbaston loss, and things are finely poised.

If they decide to return to the Bazball mantra, expect a fast start—especially with Ben Stokes limping a bit. That’s something India cannot afford, and they will need to nullify the threat or chance of Bazball coming into play early.

The weather on Friday seems to be tailor-made for batting, and there is no rain in the air either. So, for India’s sake, they will need the wickets of Root and Stokes early and cheaply.

Otherwise, they may have a mountain to climb early on in the Test, with the series evenly poised at the moment.

– Ends