| Scores | Upcoming | Results |
London: London: Ajinkya Rahane's superb century led India's fightback as England failed to take full advantage of helpful conditions on the first day of the second Test at Lord's on Thursday.
India, asked to bat on a green, seamer-friendly pitch, slipped to 145-7.
But Rahane's 103 helped the tourists reach 290-9 by the close.
He added 90 for the eighth wicket with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and a rapid 40 for the ninth with Mohammed Shami.
Rahane scored his second Test hundred, while Bhuvneshwar followed his two fifties in the first game at Trent Bridge with a valiant 36.
Bhuvo joined Rahane after allrounder Stuart Binny (9) was controversially given lbw off James Anderson, who finished the day as England's best bowler with figures of 4 for 55. Stuart Broad ended Bhuvneshwar's resistance with a delivery that kept a bit low, in the second over after the new ball.
Mohammed Shami (14*) and Ishant Sharma (12*) closed the day out for India but by all means it was Rahane's day. The Mumbai batsman completed his century with a drive off Anderson past point, an effort that was fully appreciated by a packed arena. However, two balls later Anderson avenged himself with a brilliant caught and bowled, ending Rahane's innings on 103 (155b, 15x4s, 1x6s).
England put themselves in complete ascendancy in the second session, reducing India to 140 for 6. India's start after lunch was not ideal as Virat Kohli, after making 25, edged one away-going Anderson delivery straight through to wicketkeeper Matt Prior. With that wicket, Anderson overtook Ian Botham as highest wicket-taker at the historic Lord's with 70 wickets.
Cheteshwar Pujara's fall worsened the situation for India. The Saurashtra batsman, who made 28 off 117 balls, looked compact for the most part of his innings but failed to read an inswinger from Ben Stokes and lost his middle stump. Captain MS Dhoni had a very uncomfortable stay in the middle before edging Stuart Broad to Prior for one off 17 balls.
One would have thought Ravindra Jadeja would try to prove a few points in the wake of his row with Anderson but he tamely fell lbw to part-time spinner Moeen Ali for three. Sixty-seven runs at the expense of four wickets in 28 overs in the second session say a great deal about the struggle the Indian batsmen experienced on a lively track.
However, the visitors displayed dogged batting before losing the advantage late in the first session. Dhoni's men, after losing Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay, went in to lunch at 73 for 2 with Pujara and Kohli at the crease. Things could have been worse for the visitors, had Prior caught Kohli off Moeen Ali off the last ball of the session.
Dhawan, during his innings of seven off 11 balls, looked miserable against moving deliveries and Anderson orchestrated his removal in the third over with a delivery that pitched on leg and went away from Dhawan and the opener edged it to third slip where Gary Ballance took a nice low catch. With the scalp, Anderson became the highest wicket-taker in England, overtaking Fred Trueman's tally of 229 wickets.
In the next over Broad almost accounted for last-match centurion Vijay whose edge Prior failed to grasp behind the wickets. But Vijay showed great application thereafter. He and Pujara, another batsman in form, dropped anchor and frustrated Broad and Anderson who shared the first 13 overs between them.
Earlier, England have won the toss and invites India to bat. Both teams unchanged.
Teams:
England: Alastair Cook (Capt.), Sam Robson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Matt Prior (wk), Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Liam Plunkett
India: Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (Capt. & wk), Stuart Binny, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami
Brief scores
India - 290 for 9 (Rahane 103, Anderson 4-55)
