LONDON (AP) — One of India’s greatest adversaries showed up at Lord’s and gave England the edge on the first day of the third test on Thursday. As England’s best batter, Joe Root has had a middling impact on the tied test series so far.
LONDON (AP) — One of India’s greatest adversaries showed up at Lord’s and gave England the edge on the first day of the third test on Thursday.
As England’s best batter, Joe Root has had a middling impact on the tied test series so far. But grafting for more than five hours on a roasting pitch earned him an unbeaten 99 that was easily beaconed in a total of 251-4 at stumps.
Root fought for almost the entire first day to vindicate captain Ben Stokes’ decision to bat first. Stokes was with him at stumps, on 39, but struggling with a groin or adductor issue that may affect whether he bowls.
Root’s grit typified an approach by England that was more caution than aggression, unconventional in the team’s three years under coach Brendon McCullum and Stokes, the so-called “Bazball” era.
Despite hardly a cloud in the sky over Lord’s, usually a template for a great batting day, England displayed its slowest scoring in the first session of a test, and reached 100 at its second slowest pace under Bazball. The run rate dropped to 2.75 in the afternoon.
India’s fearsome pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj squeezed the scoring, India’s fielding was tight, and the green-tinged pitch became sluggish enough for spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar to bowl 20 of the day’s 83 overs and take one wicket.
Root was slow but steadfast without offering India a single chance.
In the process, he became the first batter to hit 3,000 test runs against India. He reached his 23rd half-century in 33 tests against India — he’s averaging 58 — and was one run away from his 11th test hundred against India, which would tie Steve Smith’s record.
His only previous half-century in the series held together the successful last-day run chase in the Leeds opener when England was four down and still 118 runs behind.
This time, he fought for almost the entire day to glue England’s first innings in two big partnerships of 109 with Ollie Pope and an unbeaten 79 with Stokes.
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Foster Niumata, The Associated Press