Two absorbing days of Test cricket have seen both teams trading blows. There was plenty of talk on the opening day about the pitch being on the slower side and the edges not carrying. But come the morning of Day 2, the surface had noticeably quickened up. It remains to be seen how it behaves on Day 3, but even with the older ball, there has been enough on offer to keep the pacers interested. Undoubtedly, KL Rahul will hold the key for India, and they will be hoping he can replicate his 2021 heroics at Lord’s, where he scored a ton. As for England, after a good night’s rest, their pacers will be raring to go and will look to exploit the morning conditions. Saturday, 12th July will be Day 3 of this Lord's Test, with the first ball to be bowled at 3.30 pm IST (10 am GMT). As always, we will be here nice and early for the build-up. Until then, take care and goodbye!

Nair got off to a decent start, as did Shubman Gill but neither could kick on. Chris Woakes, who looked off-colour in his opening spell, returned to the attack and the move to bring Jamie Smith up to the stumps for the Indian skipper worked wonders for the hosts. Rishabh Pant walked in with an injured left index finger and managed to find boundaries against Shoaib Bashir, though he was visibly in discomfort at times. KL Rahul, meanwhile, continued to look solid at the other end, and the duo ensured there was no further damage before stumps.

While Smith couldn’t carry on for long after lunch, Carse continued to frustrate the Indians and went on to register his maiden Test fifty. His dismissal eventually brought the curtains down on England’s innings at 387, with Bumrah claiming his first five-wicket haul at Lord’s. Jofra Archer struck with his third ball on Test return and breathed fire in his opening spell. However, KL Rahul and Karun Nair managed to weather that early storm.

Day 2 kicked off with high drama. Joe Root, stranded overnight on 99, reached his century with the first ball of the morning but fell soon after. Jasprit Bumrah then produced a fiery three-wicket burst to reduce England to 271/7. The English lower order then staged a spirited fightback. Jamie Smith, dropped on 5, made India pay with another fluent fifty and found solid support from Brydon Carse. Shubman Gill and Co. were visibly unhappy with the changed ball, which they felt was not new enough, and the emotions clearly got to them.

SESSION SUMMARY - 29 overs, 101 runs and 2 wickets. Another slowish day in terms of scoring, where the batters were made to grind hard for their runs, but it was still a captivating day of Test cricket. It was a good day at the office for England, but not so much for India, who have plenty of ground to cover. Ben Stokes and his men will be pleased to have seen the back of Shubman Gill, while the tourists will need a strong response on Day 3.

With a minute left on the clock, this should be the last over of the day and India will do all they can to ensure it is. It will be Shoaib Bashir to bowl. A slip in place for Rishabh Pant.