India hold the advantage over England after two days of cricket at Lord’s Test. At stumps on Day 2, England were trailing by 245 in their first innings with seven wickets in hand. Importantly, Joe Root has looked in fine touch yet again. Unbeaten on 48 overnight, he holds the key to England’s fortunes in this Test match.
India resumed Day 2 on 276/3. They lost their last seven wickets for 86, and were bowled out 364 shortly after lunch.
In response, the under-fire English opening pair survived until the 15th over. Then, immediately after tea, Mohammed Siraj (2-34) got Dom Sibley and comeback man Haseeb Hameed with successive deliveries to push the hosts back to 23/2. Rory Burns (49) and Root (48 not out) then bailed England out.
England finished the day on 119/3 as Burns was dismissed by Mohammed Shami at the fag end of the day.
On Day 3, the weather will remain mostly overcast, something the Indian pacers will not mind at all. While 45 overs old, the Dukes ball can still do a lot if used well. Even Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm spin may become handy on that Day 3 surface.
Betway Fantasy Tips
– As mentioned earlier, Root’s is be the key wicket. In the second innings at Trent Bridge, it was his counterattacking hundred that kept the Indians at bay. We may see a similar approach here as well.
– The Indian pacers can expect the ball to reverse swing here. All four of them – Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Shami and Siraj – are good exponents of reverse swing.
– While England are unlikely to overhaul India’s first-innings score, their deep batting line-up may help them cross the 300-run mark.