Return with a Boom

London: Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer produced edge-of-the-seat spells before KL Rahul’s classy put India very much in sight of England’s 387 on Day 2 of the Lord’s Test here on Friday.

Bumrah earned his name on the honours board with menacing morning spell that resulted in a five-wicket haul, allowing India to bowl out England for 387 in the second session after Joe

Root’s 37th hundred.

At stumps, India were for 145/3, having lost the in-form skipper Shubman Gill (16 off 44 ), Yashasvi Jaiswal (13 off eight) and Karun Nair (40 off 62), who looked good for his first half-century

in three games.

A sellout crowd got to witness special spells of fast bowling from Bumrah and Archer, who is playing in his first Test since February 2021.

First it was Bumrah before Archer made a roaring return to the traditional format with the wicket of Jaiswal in his very first over, getting the attention of every single soul at the ground. The injury-prone England fast bowler is a sight when in full flow and he breathed fire from the word go. He squared up the Indian opener with a ripper that seamed away and Harry Brook did the rest at second slip.

Nair once again got a start but could not convert it into something meaningful with Joe Root taking a spectacular left-handed catch inches off the ground at first slip.

Gill’s fall was a result of a well thought out plan. Considering the Indian captain had been outside his crease in the previous two games, England had the wicket-keeper backing up to him against the medium pace of Chris Woakes.

Pushed back into the crease, Gill got a faint edge off a ball that straightened a shade, marking a rare failure on the tour. However, he managed to cross the 600-run mark in the series.

Batting alongside Rahul, Rishabh Pant played some attacking strokes to keep the scoreboard ticking. Pant had not come out to field after being hit on his finger on day one. As often has been the case in the series, Rahul hardly put a foot wrong and from time to time, regaled the crowd with his impeccable cover drives.

In the second session, Bumrah (5 for 74) eclipsed Kapil Dev’s record of 12 five-wicket hauls on foreign soil.