Joe Root fell soon after completing his 37th Test century, leaving Jamie Smith to pick up the baton for England as they reached 353 for seven on the second morning against India at Lord’s.
Root had spent the night on 99 and wasted no time reaching three figures in the third Rothesay Test, spraying the first ball of the day wide of gully to go fifth on the all-time list of century makers.
Ollie Pope predicted after day one that Root would be chasing “a monster innings” at the home of cricket but he had to settle for 104 as he became the middle wicket in a triple strike by the peerless Jasprit Bumrah.
Fifty up for Jamie Smith and that's lunch 🥪
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 11, 2025
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The world’s number one bowler conjured a supreme spell to remove Ben Stokes, Root and Chris Woakes in the space of seven deliveries and put the tourists on top.
But England rallied to reclaim the initiative, Smith making a fluent 51 not out in a restorative stand of 82 with Brydon Carse (33no).
There were two question marks lingering at the start of play: would Root get the single run he needed for his eighth hundred at the home of cricket and was Stokes fit to continue after hurting his groin on Thursday evening?
The answers to both were affirmative, Root slashing Bumrah to the boundary immediately and Stokes showing no signs of discomfort after a morning bowling session in the nets.
But Bumrah was about to put a dent in the hosts’ positivity with an inspired burst from the Nursery End. Stokes was first to go for 44, his off stump flattened by one that darted in between bat and pad.
He returned next over to add Root, the definition of big game hunting, this time pegging back middle via an ill-judged drive and an inside edge. Woakes followed with a first-baller, a thin edge picked up by DRS, completing the slump from 260 for four to 271 for seven.
Smith should have gone for just five, KL Rahul dropping a simple chance off Mohammed Siraj at second slip, and set about making the most of his second chance. Playing with wonderful simplicity he drove powerfully through the covers and picked up on anything short. In between times, he collected singles with ease.
In doing so he notched up 1,000 Test runs in his 21st innings, level with South Africa’s Quinton de Kock as the fastest wicketkeeper to that mark.
Carse played a solid hand too, adding four handy boundaries including a sweet strike off Bumrah, whose late return to the attack could not force a change in momentum.
