KL Rahul's unbeaten ton and Rohit Sharma's gutsy 83-knock helped India take the upper hand against England on the opening day of the ongoing second Test here at the Lord's Cricket Ground on Thursday.
At stumps, India's score reads 276/3 with Rahul (127*) and Ajinkya Rahane (1*) currently unbeaten at the crease. Earlier, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had also played knocks of 83 and 42 respectively to put the hosts onto the back foot.
Resuming the final session at 157/2, Kohli and Rahul mixed caution with aggression and they kept on moving the scoreboard, piling on the pressure on the hosts. Rahul brought up his century in the 78th over of the innings and he along with the skipper kept the hosts at bay.
England's hopes of taking a wicket relied heavily on the new ball, and in the fifth over with the new ball, the hosts struck as Ollie Robinson removed Kohli (42), bringing an end to the 117-run stand for the third wicket. In the end, Rahul and Rahane ensured that India does not lose more wickets before the close of play on an opening day.
Earlier, Rohit was not able to get to the three-figure mark as he was sent back to the pavilion by England pacer James Anderson. At the tea break, India's score read 157/2. After the lunch break, Rohit and Rahul continued from where they left and brought up the 100-run opening stand in the 33rd over of the innings. Rohit was the aggressor of the two and was marching ahead to another century in the longest format.
However, he was not able to register a century as he was sent back to the pavilion by James Anderson in the 44th over and this brought an end to the 126-run opening partnership. Rohit got out after scoring 83 runs. This brought Cheteshwar Pujara (9) to the middle and he once again failed to get going and was dismissed by Anderson. In the end, Kohli and Rahul ensured that India entered the tea break with eight wickets in hand.
Earlier, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul brought out their A-game to the middle as the visitors went into the lunch break without losing a single wicket. At the lunch break, India's score read 46/0 with Rohit (35*) and Rahul (10*) unbeaten at the crease. The first session saw few interruptions due to rain and only 18.4 overs were bowled in the session.
Earlier, Joe Root-led England won the toss and opted to bowl and the home team skipper made no bones about the fact that he wanted to make use of the overcast conditions to put pressure on India. But Rohit and Rahul ensured India has a solid foundation.
Brief Scores: India 276/3 (KL Rahul 127*, Rohit Sharma 83, James Anderson 2-52) vs England.
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