England vs India 2021, 2nd Test: Who Said What

India was up against England during the second Test of the five-match Tests series. The visiting side brought the magic yet again on the table by winning the game by huge 151 runs at the home of cricket. Winning the toss, England chose to bat bowl first wherein Rohit Sharma walked and KL Rahul flaunted class for India by scoring substantial runs. While Sharma had 83 in his bag, Rahul smashed a classy century by scoring 129 runs. He was eventually declared as the player of the match at the Lord’s with a lot of great performances to choose from.

England’s ace pacer and James Anderson bagged a fifer at Lord’s as India’s show ended on 364 runs. As England came up to bat, the day was entirely owned by skipper Joe Root who played a classy inning of 180* runs. Mohammed Siraj, who has been doing all the good for India lately, stunned all by having a four-wicket haul in his bag and even continued his rich form in the 2^nd innings.

India dominates the final day at the Lord’s all the way

The story of India’s 2^nd innings revolved around a remarkable ninth-wicket partnership stitched by Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah where the former got an unbelievable fifty to lift India up. India declared on 298 runs and invited the hosts to take up with the willows. England had nothing much to offer in their final innings as their show ended cheaply on 120 runs which handed India a massive victory at the Lord’s. Siraj did his magic with the ball again as he picked four wickets and Bumrah supported him well enough with two wickets.

Winning Skipper, Virat Kohli said:

Super proud of the whole team. The way we stuck to our plans after being put in. The pitch didn’t offer much in the first three days. First day was the most challenging. The way we played in the second innings after being put under pressure – Jasprit and Shami were outstanding. We had the belief we can get them out in 60 overs. The tension in the field in our second innings, what happened there, helped us. Putting their hand up was something we were really proud of and we wanted to let them know (ovation for Bumrah-Shami). Batting coach has worked really hard with the boys. They have the desire in them to do well for the team. We know how priceless those runs are. Have been a part of the winning Test last time under MS. That was pretty special. But this one, to get a result in 60 overs is quite special. And especially with someone like Siraj playing for the first time at Lord’s and he bowled superbly. We decided 60 is our mark. Crucial breakthroughs with the new ball was the right start for us. Very happy with the support we got, especially when we’re playing away from home these things are very important. It comes a day later (after Independence Day) but it’s the best gift we can give. We’re not going to sit on our laurels after this match. Today that one was purely gut feel. I get many wrong, but if you don’t take a chance you never know.

Losing skipper, Joe Root said:

Unfortunately we couldn’t quite manage to see out today which is very frustrating. But there’s still a lot of cricket to be played in the series. We went from a very strong position where we looked like we would win the game to losing. More than anything, just got a few things wrong. That partnership, they did pretty well. But lots of things I’d do differently if given an opportunity. His attitude (wood), the way he goes about things.. Mo’s come back well. There are things we can take from this game. We’re used to playing five-match series. Important not to panic and stay calm. So good to have the crowds back to sporting arenas in general.

Player of the match, KL Rahul said:

I’ve been looking at it every morning to see if they’ve put it on permanently. They haven’t – it’s still a temporary piece of paper (name on the honours boards). To put on 360 on the board was really crucial, very happy. Been here for a couple of months now and been working really hard on our skills. Even in the first game at Trent Bridge the batsmen have shown a lot of discipline. That’s what you expect with two competitive teams – great skills, and a few words as well. We don’t mind some banter. You go after one of our guys and all XI of us will come back.