India took the honours on Day 1 of the Lord’s Test, courtesy a classy batting display by K.L. Rahul and Rohit Sharma. Under testing conditions, the Indian openers shared a crucial 126-run opening stand after England won yet another toss and put them in.
Though Rohit perished for 83 and missed out on a well-deserving hundred, Rahul made the most of his opportunity and scored his sixth Test ton. He also become the 10th Indian batter to put his name on the Lord’s Honours Board, and remained unbeaten on 127 at stumps. India are 276/3.
Unlike Trent Bridge, the wicket at Lord’s seems be more in favour of batters. India will like to get at least another 200 to put pressure on England. For that, Rahul needs to anchor the innings, and Ajinkya Rahane – who has faced 22 deliveries for his 1 not out – has to put his hands up.
Rahane’s patchy form has been a big concern for the team management for some time now. Time has perhaps started to run out for him. He has fond memories of batting at Lord’s, and on this occasion, he needs to justify his presence in the XI.
For England, the second new ball holds the key. In the morning session the conditions are expected to be overcast and they will unleash James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood upon the Indian batting, which has a longer tail in this Test match.
– With the likes of Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja to come, the scoring rate for India on Day 2 should be better than the previous day’s, even if they lose early wickets.
– Anderson’s first spell will more or less to set the tone for the day. If he does not strike, one can expect India to put up a healthy first innings score.
– Moeen Ali is usually effective against left-handers. With the likes of Pant and Jadeja to follow, perhaps he will have an important role to play.