Sensational bowling performance helps India go 1-0 up in Test Series

On Aug 17, 2021

A heroic performance from the Indian bowlers helped the visitors seal a 151-run victory against England at Lord’s on Monday to go 1-0 up in the five-match series. India resumed with Pant and Isant Sharma at the crease. The onus was always going to be on Pant to extend the overnight lead of 154 but Ollie Robinson struck in the fourth over of the day, inducing an edge off a ball going across the southpaw.

Four overs later, Robinson trapped Ishant Sharma in front of the stumps to send him packing and it looked like it was a matter of time before England wrapped up the tail. But what followed was a resolute show from the tailenders. Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah came together and strung an unbeaten

89-run partnership to not only bail India out of trouble but also to put them in a position where they could chase a win in the final innings.

Bumrah faced some chin music and a few verbal volleys but managed to keep the scoreboard ticking, albeit with the help of a few edges going to the boundary.

Shami on the other hand went after the bowling, throwing his bat whenever he got a chance and soon brought up his second Test fifty with a six off Moeen Ali. India went into lunch at 286/8 with a lead of 259.

Virat Kohli decided to declare the innings with an over and a half after the break, setting England a target of 272 to chase in 60 possible overs.

After rescuing India with the bat, Bumrah and Shami came together to wreak more havoc, this time with the ball. Calamity struck early for England in their second innings as their opening woes continued with Rory Burns and Dom Sibley both getting out for a duck.

Haseeb Hameed stuck around for a patient knock of nine before he was trapped in front of the stumps by Ishant Sharma in his very first over. Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow then steadied the ship for the hosts, before Kohli successfully reviewed an lbw call on the final delivery before tea, as Ishant dismissed Bairstow for two.

India started the final session on top as Joe Root perished against Bumrah for 33 as the visitors sniffed a victory. England could have been in even more trouble, but Kohli dropped Buttler on 2 off the bowling of Bumrah. Buttler joined by Moeen Ali on the crease, then adopted a defence-first approach, as the Indian bowlers tried to achieve another breakthrough to have a crack at the English tail.

Mohammed Siraj’s over then blew the game wide open, as he picked up Moeen Ali and Sam Curran in back-to-back deliveries. Buttler and Robinson resisted for a long period, re-igniting England’s hopes of salvaging a draw. But Bumrah’s clever innovation of using the slower ball from round the wicket got him the dismissal of Robinson through an LBW.

It was the man of the moment, Siraj who then sealed a famous victory for India. First inducing the edge from Buttler, he then bowled James Anderson in the same over as the Indian team erupted to seal a famous 151-run victory, going 1-0 up in the five-match series.

Chief scores

India 364 and 298/8 decl (K. L. Rahul 61, Mohammed Shami 56 n.o, Mark Wood 3/51, Ollie Robinson 2/41)

England 391 and 120 (Joe Root 33, Mohammed Siraj 4/32, Jasprit Bumrah 3/33). (ICC)