Joe Root’s masterful unbeaten 99 held England together on an attritional first day of the third Test against India at Lord’s.
In turgid conditions, Root showed supreme grit and determination to take the home side to 251-4.
On a slow, dry pitch that looks set to turn and grow uneven as the match progresses, England were forced to curb their attacking instincts in a crawl of barely three runs an over.
In the extreme heat of London, the home crowd cheered when Ben Stokes won the toss and finally chose to bat first. What followed was a battle to score runs because of the surface and collective relentlessness of India’s bowling.
Twice England found themselves up against it: first when Nitish Kumar Reddy removed both openers in the same over to leave the hosts 44-2, then when Ollie Pope and Harry Brook fell after tea in a slide to 172-4.
But the peerless Root added 109 with Pope, who took 104 balls over his 44, then an unbroken 79 with Stokes, the captain hinting at a return to form with 39 not out.
India did little wrong, but captain Shubman Gill’s drop of Pope off his first ball could prove to be vital.
The tourists are also waiting on the fitness of explosive batter Rishabh Pant, who injured his finger keeping wicket and spent most of the day off the field.