London:- Bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj did the star turn as India defeated England by 151 runs in a fifth-day thriller in the second Test here on Monday registering their third-ever victory in 89 years at Lord’s, the Mecca of cricket.
Mohammed Shami (56 not out) and Jasprit Bumrah (34 not out) starred with the bat as they added unbeaten 89 runs for the ninth wicket to help India set England a challenging target of272 runs. Bumrah and Siraj then took over with the ball as India bowled out the hosts for 120 runs to seal a memorable victory and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
India’s first two wins at Lord’s came in 1986 and 2014.
Monday’s victory also made it a great year for India after brilliant wins at Sydney, Brisbane, and now Lord’s.
India put themselves on the threshold of victory in the second Test after reducing England to 67 for four at tea on the fifth and final day.
Though Jos Buttler (25) and Ollie Robinson (9) delayed the inevitable for some time before Bumrah came back to get Robinson out with a superb delivery that caught the batsman plumb in front.
Siraj then forced Buttler to knick a faint one to Rishab Pant to make it 120 for nine. He got James Anderson for a duck to seal the victory.
It was Bumrah and Shami who put India on the path to victory — first with the bat with an unbeaten 89 run stand for the ninth wicket and then with the ball as they got rid of the two openers. Rory Burns and Dominic Sibley. This was the first time that English openers had both fallen for a duck in a home Test.
No. 3 batsman Haseeb Hameed (9) added 42 for the third wicket before he fell leg-before to Ishant Sharma.
Bairstow (two off 24 balls) stuck around as Root dominated the 22-run partnership in 6.3 overs but Ishant Sharma again struck to keep India in.
But in the end, all that mattered was the way the Indians bowled and batted in the Test, coming up with a great performance when they needed it the most. If it was KL Rahul (129) who did it with a superb hundred and then the tail-enders came to the party and put India on course to victory.
Earlier, India expected Rishab Pant to help them set England a challenging target. But in the end, it was Bumrah and Shami that did that with a superb counter-attacking partnership for the ninth wicket that took the match away from England.
Indian tail’s hard work during break pays off as Shami, Bumrah shine
The Indian team management’s work with the tail-enders in the one-and-a-half month period between the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the first Test at Trent Bridge, that ended last week, seems to be paying off as the lower order stood up at Lords and delivered for the second consecutive Test.
Mohammed Shami (56 not out off 70 balls) and Jasprit Bumrah (34 not out off 64 balls) added unbeaten 89 runs for the ninth wicket on Monday to help India reach 298/8 in the second innings before they declared. Their knocks also helped give their team a shot at victory.
In the first innings of the first Test too, the Indian team was struggling at 205/7 before the last three batsmen added 73 runs. Bumrah had scored 28 while Shami made 13 in that innings.
On Monday, their 89-run partnership was the highest for the ninth wicket for India in England, beating the 66 between Madan Lal and Kapil Dev in 1982.
During the first Test, K.L. Rahul had pointed out that the tail-end batsmen had worked a lot on their batting at nets.
“Bowlers have worked very hard. We have been in the UK for two months. They have been working very, very hard on their batting and with our batting coach as well. They are spending a lot of time on their batting as well as their bowling, which is their primary skill. It is really good to see that level of application and dedication. They also feel they can contribute 30-40 runs in the lower order. It is crucial in countries like England,” Rahul had said.
Batting coach Vikram Rathour, who R Ashwin had recently credited for helping him improve his batting, had also said that the tailenders had spent a lot of time at the nets during the one-and-a-half month period between the WTC final and the first Test.
On Sunday night, he said that a total of around 200 would be tough for England.
“If we can take the target near 200 runs, then it won’t be easy for England,” said Rathour.
The runs by the lower order have been a blessing for the Indians as their middle-order has struggled during the ongoing tour.
“What happened this morning was a huge bonus. Unexpected,” said former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar on air on Monday.
Former India batsman V.V.S. Laxman tweeted his appreciation.
“What a wonderful partnership between Shami and Bumrah. They may not have the best of techniques but from experience, i can say that bowlers have a big heart,” he wrote.
The Indian tail had been a worry especially after their insipid performance during the WTC final in which India lost their last four wickets for 12 and 14 across two innings.
Brief scores:
India 364 and 298/8 decl in 109.3 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 61, Mohammed Shami 56 not out, Cheteshwar Pujara 45, Jasprit Bumrah 34 not out, Mark Wood 3/51, Ollie Robinson 2/45, Moeen Ali 2/84) vs England 391 and 120 all out in 51.3 overs (Joe Root 33; Siraj 4/32 Bumrah 3/33).