Three takeaways from the England vs India second Test

The Indian cricket team pulled off a stunning 151-run victory over England on the final day of the second Test at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London to go 1-0 up in the five-match series. 

It was India’s third Test win at the venue, with the first coming way back in 1986 under Kapil Dev while the second came under MS Dhoni in 2014. 

India were, in fact, the second-best team for a majority of the second innings, but an 89-run partnership between tailenders Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah flipped the script altogether. From 209/8, India went to 298/8 before declaring and setting England a target of 271 runs to chase.

Can I be honest. It’s much harder watching than playing !!!

— Stuart Broad (@StuartBroad8) August 16, 2021

The tailenders, who got the job done with the bat, went on to produce a dominant display with the ball as India bundled out England for 120 to win the match by 151 runs.

The final day drama was a sheer delight for cricket fans and here are some key takeaways from India’s historic win over England at Lord’s.

Joe Root: England’s lone warrior

England captain Joe Root was his team’s lone warrior with the bat. As others around him crumbled, the 30-year-old went on to score his 22nd Test ton and seventh against India. He has now scored 2,175 runs against India in Test cricket, which is the most by any active player from the two teams. Seven centuries scored by Root is the joint-most by a batsman in England vs India Test matches.

During his knock of 180* runs in the first innings, Root also reached the 9000-run mark in the longest format. He is the second-youngest player after Alastair Cook to reach the milestone.

37% of Sibley and Burns’ opening partnerships have not made it to the end of the second over

— Charlie Reynolds (@cwjreynolds) August 16, 2021

England’s batting order has looked extremely uncomfortable in the two Tests so far. Their opening pair of Rory Burns and Dom Sibley scored a combined total of 60 runs across two innings in the second Test while there were as many as seven ducks at Lord’s, which is the most in England vs India Tests.

India’s match-winning 9th wicket stand

India’s inability to get their tail wagging was a worrying factor ahead of the Test series. The team was, in fact, averaging a lowly 12.35 from their tailenders since the start of 2020, but all that changed in the second Test as Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah stitched together a match-defining 9th wicket stand of 89 runs.

It was the best 9th wicket partnership for India in Test cricket in England. The previous best was of 66 runs between Kapil Dev and Madan Lal in 1982. As far as the venue is concerned, it is the fourth-best 9th wicket stand at Lord’s in Tests. Here’s the entire list:

Furthermore, Mohammed Shami, who came out to bat at number 9, scored his second half-century in Test cricket. Both of his half-centuries have come against England, making him the sixth visiting bowler to score multiple half-centuries in England while batting at position No.9-11 in Tests.

Shami remained unbeaten at 56 and now has a higher score at Lord's than Virat Kohli (42), Sachin Tendulkar (37) and Ricky Ponting (42).

Mohammed Siraj lets the ball do the talking

Mohammed Siraj may have missed out on a five-wicket haul in both innings, but the quality he possesses was evident right from the beginning. He was the most successful bowler for India in the second Test, finishing with match figures of 8/126, which is now the best bowling figure for an Indian bowler at Lord’s. The previous best was Kapil Dev’s 8/168 in 1982.

Siraj rose to the challenge in the second innings when India needed him the most. At one point in time, it looked like Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali could save the game for England, but the pacer picked two wickets in as many deliveries to rekindle India’s hopes of winning. 

With the clock ticking and India needing wickets to win, Siraj replaced Ishant Sharma and it only took him five balls to take his last two wickets. His return of eight wickets has now made him the leading wicket-taker for India in Test cricket in 2021. Only Ravichandran Ashwin (38) and Axar Patel (27) are ahead of him on the list.

Featured photo: AFP / Glyn Kirk