Virat Kohli’s Indian cricket team will be determined to register a win at Lord’s in the second Test after a solid performance in the first Test at Trent Bridge.
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Virat Kohli’s Indian cricket team put up a solid performance in the first Test against England in Trent Bridge. The exploits of KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and Ravindra Jadeja in the first Test put India on the cusp of securing a great win. But, Joe Root’s brilliant century and the rain denied India a victory that would have allowed them to dictate terms to England in the five-Test series. India will be incredibly happy with the performance of Bumrah, who took nine wickets and increased his tally of wickets in Trent Bridge to 16.
Heading into the Lord’s Test, India will be determined to avoid the mistake that cost them the Test in 2018. In that match, under overcast conditions, India played two spinners and their combination was totally compromised. India lost the Test by a big margin and they never recovered from that point.
For any side, doing well at Lord’s gives them immense satisfaction. An individual has their name etched in Lord’s and it is a crowning moment in their career.
There have been several great moments for India in Lord’s. They won the 1983 World Cup final against the West Indies that put their cricket on the world map. The first Test that India played in their history was at Lord’s against England in 1932. But, they have had a poor record at the venue.
The Indian cricket team has won only two Tests in the last 89 years of playing at the venue. Even when they won the 1971 series in England, they did not win in Lord’s. India won a Test match at Lord’s for the first time in 1986 and pulled off a sensational victory in 2014. With the second Test just three days away, it is time to look at those two wins in 1986 and 2014.
For the first 10 Tests that India played at Lord’s from 1932 to 1982, they did not have any success. Their best result was a draw in 1971 and 1979 but they also had eight losses. All that changed in grand style in 1986 under the leadership of Kapil Dev. Kapil’s Indian side was on top of the world, having won the World Cup in 1983 as well as the 1985 Benson and Hedges World Series of Cricket in Australia. They were the No.1 ranked side in the world. Thus, when they came for the tour of England, expectations were high.
The ODI series was level 1-1. In the first Test at Lord’s, India chose to bowl and Chetan Sharma took 5/64. He got good support from Roger Binny with 3/55 as England were bowled out for 294. Graham Gooch’s 114 and a 63 from Derek Pringle gave England’s bowlers something to bowl at. India managed to take a 47-run lead thanks to Dilip Vengsarkar’s third consecutive century at Lord’s. The Colonel stepped up and dazzled everyone with his strokeplay and he got great support from Mohinder Amarnath.
In the second innings, Kapil Dev took 4/52 and Maninder Singh chipped in with 3/9 as England were bowled out for 180. India did have some wobbles in their chase of 134 but Vengsarkar’s 33, combined with a solid stand between Ravi Shastri and Kapil Dev ensured India won their first-ever Test at Lord’s. They would go on to win the Test series 2-0 and win a series in England for the first time in 15 years.
In the 2014 Test series, the first Test in Trent Bridge was a dull draw with bowlers not getting any help. But, in the Lord’s Test, the wicket could not be distinguished from the outfield. The lush, green cover meant that bowlers would have a field day. England chose to bowl but Ajinkya Rahane stepped up and played a monumental knock of 103. Bhuvneshwar Kumar chipped in with 36 as India were bowled out for 295. Gary Ballance hit 110 and Liam Plunkett smashed 55 as England secured a 24-run lead. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the star with the ball as he took 6/82
In the second innings, India put up a better display with Murali Vijay smashing 95. But, the difference-maker was a partnership of 99 between Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar. The stand ensured India ended on 342, giving England a target of 319. Joe Root and Moeen Ali shared a solid stand to put England on top.
But, Ishant Sharma was in brilliant form with the ball as he ended with 7/74 to give India their first win at Lord’s since 1986. India had taken a lead for the first time since 1986 in England. That would be the ultimate high point for India in the series. However, as the tour progressed, India’s fortunes went downhill and they lost the series 1-3.
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