Daijiworld Media Network - London

London, Jul 11: India dominated the early proceedings on day 2 of the third Test at Lord’s on Friday with Jasprit Bumrah’s fiery spell claiming three key wickets, but a missed catch by KL Rahul and a counter-attacking Jamie Smith saw England recover to 353/7 at lunch.

Bumrah, in a sensational burst of seven balls, dismissed centurion Joe Root (104), skipper Ben Stokes (44), and Chris Woakes (0), reducing England from a strong 251/4 to a shaky 271/7. Root’s 37th Test hundred took him past Steve Smith in the all-time list, placing him fifth behind legend Sachin Tendulkar (51 tons).

However, the visitors missed a golden chance to tighten their grip when KL Rahul dropped Jamie Smith off Mohammed Siraj in the 87th over. The ball flew to second slip at shoulder height, but Rahul failed to latch on. “Had that catch been taken, it would have been a tremendous session,” remarked Sunil Gavaskar at the lunch break.

Smith, continuing his rich vein of form after scores of 184* and 88 in the previous Test, capitalised on the reprieve. He smashed an unbeaten 51 off just 53 balls, and along with Brydon Carse (33*), stitched a crucial 82-run stand for the eighth wicket off only 106 deliveries.

While India took the session honours thanks to Bumrah’s brilliance, England’s lower order once again showed fight, keeping the match finely balanced.