Overhead conditions brightened up not before the day’s final session. The floodlights were on for a good part of the 52 overs bowled till tea as rain held up play for some time during the first two sessions.

But India were largely unaffected. The visitors, taking the elements in their stride, were in a strong position at the end of Day I of the second Test match at Lord’s, reaching 276/3 at stumps.

It was KL Rahul (127 batting) again who stood out for India, weathering the early storm and doing all the hard work to eventually ease his way to his first Test century at Lord’s and his sixth overall in the game’s traditional format.

Rohit Sharma during his 145-ball 83, on Day I of the second Test against England at Lord’s on Thursday. Getty Images

His opening partner Rohit Sharma (83) too did a fine job playing a stroke-filled innings to lay the foundation early on after India were put in to bat.

Even in the first Test in Nottingham, Rahul had done a fabulous job with the bat in the first innings and deserved a hundred, only to be denied by James Anderson’s brilliance as he fell 16 short of the three-figure mark. But on this occasion, with England’s bowling looking considerably weaker in the absence of the injured Stuart Broad, Rahul ensured that he reaped the harvest of his hard work.

So far, his knock, adorned with some glorious off-drives, featured just one shot that had a hint of aggression, when he lofted Moeen Ali over long off for a maximum. Other than that, it was all about getting right behind the line of the ball and offering no shot to the outside-the-off-stump balls that create an element of doubt. It would be fair enough to say that Rahul, even defensively, has been the most solid among the Indian batsmen so far on this tour.

Not just in terms of scoring runs, but Rahul also did well enough to protect Virat Kohli, especially when the India captain had just arrived at the crease, from facing Anderson who had his tail up after dismissing Rohit and Cheteshwar Pujara in quick succession. Going into tea, Kohli, yet to open his account then, didn’t have to face Anderson.

The conditions were indeed the best for batting in the final session and Rahul grew in strength. Kohli (42), out for a golden duck in the previous game, didn’t look to be at his fluent best before perishing towards the end of the day’s play, edging one from Ollie Robinson straight to the slip cordon. Yet, that third-wicket stand between Rahul and him earned India a crucial 117 runs and that’s primarily due to Rahul’s overall efficiency: utilising almost all scoring opportunities and committing hardly any unforced error.

Obviously, Rohit batting with authority at the other end made the going easier for Rahul initially. The pitch, though low on grass content compared to the one at Trent Bridge, did offer some movement for the bowlers while the odd one also kept low as the day progressed.

Conditions demanded Rohit and Rahul to be watchful in the first hour.

However, Rohit soon had his way and it became easy for him when left-arm seamer Sam Curran kept erring in line, allowing him to feast on those loose deliveries. India’s opening pair added a valuable 126 in conditions that weren’t the easiest for batsmen.