Trisha Ghosal in London
It was a sea of red at Lord’s — caps, shirts, and heart — as fans stood united on Ruth Strauss Foundation Day. The sun beat down on the hallowed turf, but Jasprit Bumrah brought the real heat. From an overnight 251 for 4 with Joe Root well set on 99 and Ben Stokes looking ominous, England collapsed in a heap — losing three wickets for 20 runs. It was Bumrah, breathing fire from the Nursery End, who triggered the implosion and tilted the Test firmly in India’s favour.
This wasn’t swing under cloud cover; this was precision under pressure, under the sun with a little help from the slope. Bumrah had bowled from the Pavilion End with the new ball late on Day 1, but on Day 2, the switch of ends made all the difference. With the ball just three overs old, his control, seam position, and subtle movement made even set batters look unsure.
The first strike was pure theatre — Stokes castled by a delivery that jagged back off the pitch and uprooted the top of off stump. Bumrah’s celebration was understated, but the message was loud: the tone for the morning had been set. Soon after, Root — who had looked immovable — fell to the same assassin for the 11th time in Tests. A full delivery that just nipped in enough to take the inside edge and crash into middle stump silenced the crowd, if only for a moment.
Then came the Chris Woakes’ wicket, full of intrigue. India went upstairs after a faint noise, with Ravindra Jadeja confidently shouting, “Awaaz aaya hai!” UltraEdge confirmed it. The review was spot-on, the belief palpable.
In five overs, Bumrah returned 3/20. Ruth Strauss Day was meant to be emotional and symbolic — and Bumrah, in his own way, honoured it with a spell that brought tears of joy to Indian fans. Lord’s stood painted in red — and in awe.
For More Sports Related News: Follow RevSportz