England vs India 2021, 2nd Test, Day 1 Stats Review: KL Rahul achieves multiple feats at Lord’s, James Anderson also gets milestones

Indian openers dominated Day 1 of the second Test match against England at the Lord’s Cricket Stadium. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul put up an exhibition of high-class batting as English bowlers had a tough day at the office. Interestingly, it was Joe Root who won the toss and elected to bowl first with the conditions being overcast. However, his decision has proved costly so far. At stumps on Day 1, India were 276/3 with Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane being the two batters in the middle.

Earlier in the game, Rahul and Rohit tackled the new red cherry with utmost precision. While the duo respected the challenging deliveries, they didn’t mind sending the loose ones over the ropes. Notably, Rohit was the aggressor in the partnership as he did the bulk of the scoring. The Hitman was on a roll and was even approaching his first overseas Test hundred.

However, an inswinging delivery from James Anderson rattled his stumps and the Hitman had to walk back after scoring 83 runs. England seemed right back in hunt when Anderson dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara (9) as well. However, skipper Virat Kohli joined KL Rahul in the middle, and the duo made sure India didn’t lose the track.

In the process, Rahul also brought up his sixth century in Test matches. It was indeed a knock of high authority as this series marks his comeback in Test matches after almost two years. At the same time, Kohli also showcased remarkable resilience during his stay. However, he would be disappointed getting out on the brink of day’s play. The Indian skipper, overall, scored 42 runs before falling prey to Ollie Robinson.

Meanwhile, the second day has a lot in prospect with both teams having different goals. While the visitors would like to post a massive first-innings total, England would like to minimize the damage. Needless to mention, Virat Kohli’s men have the command at the moment. However, there’s a long way to go in this Test and the Three Lions have all the chances of forging a comeback.

Meanwhile, here are the important stats and numbers from the England vs India 2nd Test Day 1

6 – This was KL Rahul’s sixth hundred in Test matches and third against England.

3 – KL Rahul became the third Indian opener to score a Test century in Lord’s. Vinoo Mankad and Ravi Shastri are the other two to get to the milestone.

4 – Rahul now has four Test centuries outside Asia, joint-second most for an Indian opener. Virender Sehwag also has as many scores of hundreds. Sunil Gavaskar tops this list with 15 tons.

6 – This is only the sixth instance of an Indian opener scoring a hundred in England since 2000. One of the previous five centuries belongs to Rahul as well. He scored 149 at the Oval in 2018.

3 – Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul became the third Indian opening pair to add over 100 runs in a Lord’s Test. They, in total, added 126 runs for the first wicket. Farokh Engineer – Sunil Gavaskar (131), and Vinoo Mankad – Pankaj Roy (106) are the other Indian pairs to achieve the feat.

83 – Rohit Sharma registered his highest score in overseas Tests. He went past his tally of 79 runs against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2015.

6 – Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul added 126 runs for the first wicket in this clash. This is the sixth-highest opening stand by an Indian pair in Test matches outside Asia since 2000.

9 – James Anderson has dismissed Cheteshwar Pujara nine times in Test matches. Only Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon has accounted for his wicket more times in Test matches (10).

30 – Anderson has now taken 30 wickets against India at Lord’s, most against India at a venue in Tests. Former Sri Lankan off-spinner Muthiah Muralidaran previously held the record, having taken 29 Test wickets against India in Colombo.

4 – This is only the fourth instance of both Indian openers scoring over 75 runs in a Test innings outside Asia.