Boria Majumdar at Lord’s
It was his third delivery in red-ball cricket after four years and the impact was immediate. Jofra Archer had squared up Yashasvi Jaiswal and the joy was palpable. He sprinted towards his mates and it was Shoaib Bashir who got the first hug.
Archer was back and all of Lord’s had started to celebrate. While Karun Nair and KL Rahul played out the rest of the hostile five-over spell, the real battle had not yet started. It did the moment the Indian captain had come in. Within an over, Ben Stokes got Archer back into the attack and all of Lord’s waited with bated breath.
This is what people come to watch. The new batting royalty against the X factor comeback man. Archer bowled fast and accurate, but Gill was steadfast. The Indian captain played off the spell and just when it seemed that he had taken control, did he lose his wicket. Archer had been seen off and India seemed in good shape.
But then, it isn’t just Archer. This ground also belongs to Chris Woakes, who has an average of 12 here. He got keeper Jamie Smith to stand up and got the field close in to induce the mistake. Gill played a little away from the body and it was enough for all of England to rejoice. The player of the series had been uprooted and England could smell blood. The body language of the Indian captain was evidence he was distraught. He knows he is the key, but then it is often a one-ball game.
It was of interest to see who steps out and much to the relief of the Indian fans, it was Rishabh Pant. He had batted in the nets for a while today and that’s when it seemed that he’d be up for the challenge. With his captain gone, it was essential for India that his deputy came out.
Between Rahul and Pant, they played things out and took the team to 145/3, but it has to be said England will feel the better of the two sides this evening. From 271/7 to 387, with the help of a dropped catch, India allowed them 60 runs too many and it could well come back to bite them bad.
Even the last-wicket stand was frustrating and added valuable runs. These little things start to haunt you in a close game. Rahul’s drop when pitted again Joe Root’s one-handed stunner summed up the day for the two sides. But with reasonable batting still to follow, India are by no means out of this. When you add Pant to it, you know this is far from one-sided.
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