Day 1 of the IND vs ENG 3rd Test at Lord’s witnessed Ravindra Jadeja cheekily taunting Joe Root to complete his century. With just one run standing between the England star and his 37th Test hundred, Jadeja dropped the ball in a mock challenge, prompting boos from the crowd. Root was left stranded on 99 not out.
As Root turned for what seemed like a comfortable second run off the penultimate over of the day, England fans began to rise in celebration. But just then, Ben Stokes yelled “No!” from the other end, halting Root mid-pitch. Jadeja had already fielded the ball at backward point, and instead of returning it, he playfully tossed it to the ground, daring Root to go for the run anyway. Root grinned but didn’t take the bait.
Joe Root eye records on Day 2
While the drama momentarily overshadowed his effort, Root now stands just one century away from leapfrogging Steve Smith as the active player with the most Test hundreds. Another milestone awaits, too he is only 77 runs shy of overtaking Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid in the all-time Test run-scorers list.
IND vs ENG Day1 highlights
The former England captain’s composed knock came amid England’s unusually measured approach, as they crawled to 251 for four at the close. Root had anchored the innings after Tea with his trademark calm, notching up his 67th half-century along the way and looking poised for yet another ton.
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Root was involved in a partnership of 109 for the third wicket with Ollie Pope, who made 44 and at the close of day one, he is in an unbroken 79-run stand with his skipper Ben Stokes, who reached 39 not out off 102 balls despite limping due to a niggle.
For India, they will feel happy about keeping things tight, with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja being amongst the wicket-takers. They will also be hoping that Rishabh Pant is cleared to keep wickets on day two, after he went off the field due to a blow on his left index finger.
