Team India captain Virat Kohli couldn’t hide his feelings at the end of a stupendous day of cricket when India bowled out England for 120 in their second innings to clinch a 151-run victory.
“Super proud of the whole team. The way we stuck to our plans after being put in... Our performance with the bat was outstanding,” Kohli summed it up.
“The pitch didn’t offer much in the first three days. The first day was the most challenging. The way we played in the second innings after being put under pressure... Jasprit Bumrah and (Mohammed) Shami were outstanding. We had the belief we can get them out in 60 overs. A bit of tension on the field really motivated us to finish the game.”
Shami (56 not out off 70 balls) and Bumrah (34 not out off 64) were greeted with a standing ovation by the entire team for their unbroken 89-run partnership as they made their way into the dressing room.
“Putting their hand up was something we were really proud of... We wanted to let them know that we appreciated what they did… Then they took the new ball and got breakthroughs for us. They showed the belief and desire in them to do well for the team. We know how priceless those runs are,” Kohli said.
The captain agreed that this win at Lord’s was special.
“I have been part of winning a Test at Lord’s the last time (2014) under MS (Dhoni). That was pretty special. But this one, to get a result in 60 overs is quite special as well... And especially with someone like Siraj playing for the first time at Lord’s... he bowled superbly. We decided 60 is our mark. Crucial breakthroughs with the new ball gave us the right start.”
While mentioning the victory as the “best gift we can give India”, a day after Independence Day, Kohli didn’t forget to send out a warning to the England team.
“We have three more Test matches and can’t sit on our laurels... We will go with the same intensity and positive energy in the remaining matches,” he said.
Kohli also thanked the crowd for their constant support. “Second half of the day, we thought we were on top and our fans got behind us. We fed off the energy of the crowd as well.”
KL Rahul was pleased to see his name on the Honours board after his first innings century. “I’ve been looking at it every morning to see if they’ve put it up permanently. Really happy that the hundred could set up a victory for India,” the Man of the Match said.
“Put into bat we had to go out and give the team a good start and for that the opening partnership was really crucial.
“At Trent Bridge we showed discipline... We’re really pleased and happy we could go out and put up a performance like that.”
Rearguard Heroes
Coming together with the scoreboard reading 209/8, the overall lead not even 200, Mohammed Shami (56 n.o.) and Jasprit Bumrah (34 n.o.) thwarted the England attack with a 89-run partnership that turned the Test on its head on Monday. But it’s not the first time that Indian pacers have lorded over Lord’s with a bat in hand. Here’s a compilation:
- 51 by Amar Singh, 1932
India were 108/7 chasing a target of 346 when the right-arm medium pacer made an attacking 51 coming in at No.9. Singh’s knock enabled India to reach 187 but it wasn’t enough to save the match, which they lost by 158 runs. Singh also hit a six, India’s first-ever in Tests.
- 109 n.o. by Ajit Agarkar, 2002
England set India a mammoth target of 568 before lunch on Day IV. India were struggling at 170/6 when Agarkar walked in at No.8 to join VVS Laxman. They added 126 for the 7th wicket. With last man Ashish Nehra, Agarkar added 63 for the last wicket. India lost the game by 170 runs with Agarkar remaining not out on 109 off 190 balls.
- 52 by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 2014
India were 235/7 in their second innings, ahead by 211 runs, when Bhuvneshwar Kumar joined Ravindra Jadeja at the crease. The duo put on 99 for the eighth wicket as India closed their second innings at 342, giving England a target of 319. Ishant Sharma then spit fire with figures of 7/74 as England were dismissed for 223. India won by 95 runs.
Mohandas Menon