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29 March 2024

England vs India Lord's Test: Sharma bowls India to victory

Published
By Cricket Correspondent and Agencies

Ishant Sharma claimed seven wickets to bowl India to a 95-run victory over England in the second test at Lord's on Monday, their first overseas win since 2011.

India's second victory at the home of cricket and first since 1986 continued England's miserable year after series defeats by Australia and Sri Lanka.

Resuming at 105 for four in pursuit of 319, Joe Root and Moeen Ali survived until the final ball before lunch when the latter fell to Sharma.

The willowy right-armer claimed four more wickets after the break as England's batsmen capitulated in the face of India's short-pitched barrage and were bowled out for 223, putting the visitors 1-0 up in the five-match series.

Sharma finished with career-best figures of 7-74, including five wickets in 33 balls.

Root and Moeen had earlier given hope of an unlikely home victory, having come together with England in trouble at 72 for four midway through Sunday's evening session.

They added a further 68 runs on Monday morning before Moeen, who batted for a day to nearly save the second Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley last month, fell last to a brute of a delivery from Sharma which forced him to fend off to Cheteshwar Pujara at short leg.

Root and Prior came out after lunch bristling with intent, hitting 20 runs in the first two overs after play resumed as Mohammed Shami and Sharma offered a procession of short balls.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's plan paid dividends shortly afterwards, however, when Prior, who has endured a poor run both behind the stumps and with the bat, hooked Sharma to Vijay at deep mid-wicket for 12.

Ben Stokes completed a pair in the match, mis-hitting Sharma to Pujara at mid-on and Root went the same over for 66, caught by Stuart Binny after another poor hook shot.

Sharma claimed his fifth victim of the day and seventh of the innings when he had Stuart Broad caught down the legside by Dhoni.

James Anderson was last to fall, run out by Ravindra Jadeja.

The third Test starts in Southampton on Sunday.

India have won by 95 runs with Ishant Sharma taking a career-best 7 for 74 to 'bounce' out England for 223.

Anderson is the last man out as England are all out for 223 in 88.2 overs.

James Anderson run out 2 (6b 0x4 0x6)

Sharma picks up his seventh wicket as Broad tickles another short delivery down the leg side to Dhoni. Eng 216-9 in 86 overs.

Stuart Broad c Dhoni b Sharma 8 (14b 1x4 0x6)

It's curtains for England as their last ray of hope Root falls to another bouncer from Sharma. Eng 201-8 in 81.5 overs.

Joe Root c Binny b Sharma 66 (146b 7x4 0x6)

Sharma claims his fifth as Stokes departs attempting to heave a short ball out of the ground only to sky it to Pujara at midwicket. Eng 201-7 in 81.2 overs.

Ben Stokes c Pujara b Sharma 0 (6b 0x4 0x6)

India's short ball theory pays dividends with Prior holing out to midwicket. Eng 198-6 in 79.5 overs.

Matt Prior c Vijay b Sharma 12 (11b 2x4 0x6)

Prior attacks Sharma crashing him through the covers and then hooking a bouncer to square leg for a couple of boundaries. Eng 193-5.

Root decides to attack against the short pitched stuff delivered by Shami in the first over after lunch by pulling him for two consecutive boundaries. Eng 183-5.

Moeen Ali fell to the final ball before lunch, denting England's hopes of saving the second Test against India as the hosts reached 173 for five on the final day at Lord's on Monday.

Resuming on 105 for four and needing 319 for victory, Root and Moeen added 68 runs before Moeen was out for 39 to a short ball from Ishant Sharma.

Root will resume on 52 in the afternoon session accompanied by Matt Prior.

England have failed to win any of their last nine Test matches, while India are looking to secure their first victory away from home since 2011 and go one up in the five-match series.

The touring side had reduced England to 72 for four midway through Sunday's final session, before Root and Moeen survived the last hour.

India opened the final day with the off-spin of Ravindra Jadeja in the hope of exploiting the wearing pitch.

However, other than the odd problem caused by variable bounce, Root and Moeen showed commendable poise in a testing opening session as England look to complete an unlikely victory.

Root brought up his half-century with his third boundary off Sharma's 16th over as the run-rate slowly increased later in the session.

The pair looked to have survived the morning session before a brute of a delivery from Sharma forced Moeen to fend off the ball to Cheteshwar Pujara at short leg.

Both teams will be conscious of the looming new ball, due shortly after play resumes, which could prove to be the defining point of an enthralling match.

The first Test at Trent Bridge was drawn.

LUNCH

Root is unbeaten on 52 as India keep alive their hopes of victory by snapping up Moeen in a dramatic end to the morning session.

England require 146 with five wickets in hand in the remaining two sessions.

Sharma strikes in the final ball before lunch with Moeen Ali as he tries to duck a bouncer only to glove a catch to Pujara at forward short leg. Eng 173-5 in 76 overs at lunch.

Moeen Ali c Pujara b Sharma 39 (147b 5x4 0x6)

The 100 partnership between Root and Ali comes in 262 balls. Eng 172-4.

Root completes his fifth Test fifty spanking consecutive boundaries off Sharma. Eng 170-4.

Root drives a loose delivery from Sharma straight down the ground for a boundary followed by another through extra cover.

Root drives a loose delivery from Sharma straight down the ground for a boundary.

Ali survives offering half chances the close-in fielder Kohli and Pujara off Jadeja who causing problems to the England pair. Eng 154-4.

Moeen Ali steers Kumar through point for another boundary. Eng 151-4.

The partnership between Root and Ali is 75 off 215 balls. Eng 147-4.

Roots skips down the track and adjusts his shot to steer Kumar through the covers for a boundary. Eng 146-4.

England's overnight pair of Root (29) and Moeen (30) have survived the first hour of the morning session adding 35 runs in 16 overs. Eng 140-4.

Ali gets another boundary off Sharma this time off an outside edge which elude Dhawan in the slip cordon. Eng 115-4.

Ali hits the first boundary of the fifth morning driving an overpitched delivery from Sharma through the covers. Eng 109-4.

Jadeja opens the attack on the final morning of this intriguing match and begins with a maiden.

FOURTH DAY

Murali Vijay backed Ravindra Jadeja to be a last-day hero as India closed in on a coveted Test win against England at Lord's.

Both players had a day to remember on Sunday, although in opener Vijay's case it was bittersweet as he just missed out on a place on the Lord's honours board by making 95.

But his painstaking knock laid the foundation for India's second innings 342, a total bolstered by a dashing eighth-wicket stand of 99 in just 100 balls between Jadeja (68) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (52).

Left-arm spinner Jadeja then took a wicket with his first ball Sunday to have Sam Robson lbw.

At stumps, England were 105 for four - still needing a further 214 runs to reach their victory target of 319 - with both captain Alastair Cook and fellow senior batsman Ian Bell already out cheaply.

Jadeja promises to pose particular problems for England's remaining four out of six left-handers - Gary Ballance like Cook fell tamely on Sunday - in Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad and James Anderson as there is now significant rough outside their off-stump.

"The game is really well-placed," Vijay told reporters after stumps.

"It is doing a lot for the spinner because of the foot marks and they have six left-handers so it is going to be tough for them."

The 30-year-old Vijay was on the brink of making hundreds in successive matches, following his excellent 146 in the drawn first Test of this five-match series at Trent Bridge when, after more than six hours at the crease, he fell an agonising five runs short when caught behind off James Anderson with the new ball.

"It is disappointing but I will take it any day if we pull off a win tomorrow (Monday)," said Vijay, now in his 24th Test.

"Jadeja played really well, carrying through his aggressive intent and obviously Bhuvneshwar was hitting the ball. They both put us in a very good position."

Vijay's innings was a throwback by comparison but invaluable all the same given there was still some life in a seaming pitch when he walked out to bat.

"The wicket was doing a bit, behaving up and down," he said.

"On this wicket, I thought rather than play the drive I need to wait for my strength."

Vijay had had something of a stop-start Test career since making his debut back in 2008.

But he was recalled when Gautam Gambhir fell out of favour, with Vijay determined to make the most of his second chance.

"The first 10 matches I played in three years," recalled Vijay. "That says it all.

"After that I got my chance, I waited for it, and kept myself patient. When I got it, I just wanted to grab it."

Vijay and Jadeja began to turn the tide in India's favour with a quickfire stand of 32 in 35 balls.

"When he actually came in I could feel the energy that he would do something special," said Vijay of a Jadeja innings that saw the left-hander hit nine fours in 57 balls.

"The intent was there and from ball one he was positive. At that time we needed somebody like that. I was playing the anchor role, and he was trying to get the runs.

"I just told him let's build a 25-run partnership and take it from there," Vijay explained.

India are now on the brink of their first away win in 16 Tests, their last overseas victory coming against the West Indies in Jamaica in 2011.

And were they to go 1-0 up in the series, it would also represent only India's second win in 17 Tests at Lord's following their 1986 success at the 'home of cricket'.

"We are all pumped up to do something special," said Vijay. "We are here to prove a point, we are here to win a game."