3 most memorable moments from India's win at Lord's in 2014
It was an incredible spell of fast bowling by Ishant Sharma, whose figures of 7/74 guided India to their first Test win at the Lord's in 28 years.
On this day (July 21) nine years ago, Sharma, on the insistence of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, kept bowling short at the English batters as they kept giving catches to the deep fielders.
Under seaming conditions, England captain Alastair Cook asked the visitors to bat first and they responded by posting a competitive score of 295 runs, thanks to a sensational century from Ajinkya Rahane.
England got a slender lead before India blunted the English attack in the second innings, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja scoring half-centuries to bring them back into the game.
It was the combination of MS Dhoni's tactics and Ishant Sharma's skills that did the trick on the final day of the Test, which turned out to be one of the best overseas wins for India. Just when it seemed England will run away with the game, Dhoni changed his plans and as they say, the rest is history.
With that said, let us take a look at the three most memorable moments from India's victory at Lord's in 2014:
# 1 Ishant Sharma's short ball barrage yielding the necessary results
One of the finest ever spells on this day 9 years ago.
Ishant Sharma picked 7/74 against England at Lord's to give India a memorable win! Outstanding spell by Ishant! pic.twitter.com/3advhp5TwZ
Sharma went wicketless in the first innings but what transpired in the second innings was nothing short of a fairytale for the lanky speedster. He dismissed Ian Bell and Cook at the fag end of Day 4.
The opening session on Day 5 was going well and truly in favor of the hosts. Joe Root and Moeen Ali looked in superb touch and it looked like India will go wicketless in the first session.
It was then that Sharma was asked to cramp the batters with short deliveries, which immediately worked. Ali wasn't quite expecting that delivery and tried to take evasive actions but ended up gloving one straight to the short-leg fielder.
In the next session, England's batters kept committing the same mistake and it was baffling to see how an international side fell one after the other to a plan that was already known.
Matt Prior, Ben Stokes, Joe Root, and Stuart Broad were all casualties of short deliveries. Prior and Root struck the ball well but gave away easy catches to the deep midwicket and the deep square fielders respectively.
Sharma's figures of 7/74 earned him the Player of the Match award as India won by 95 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
# Ajinkya Rahane's brilliant century
There was a tinge of live grass on the surface and the conditions were very challenging for the Indian top-order batters. None of them could provide stability at the top of the order as India kept losing wickets on a consistent basis.
Despite the flurry of wickets at the other end, Ajinkya Rahane played a superb knock and never allowed the English bowlers to dictate terms to him. He was not afraid to play his shots and the runs came at a fair clip.
His knock of 103 came in just 154 deliveries and included 15 fours and a six. It was the batting of the highest order, especially given the situation India was in at one stage. From 145/7, his century was instrumental in getting India close to the 300-run mark.
He drove and cut to perfection and also struck the occasional lofted shots. It was a superb return catch from James Anderson which ended Rahane's innings but not before he had laid the foundation for the visitors.
# Bhuvneshwar Kumar's stunning all-round show
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the unsung hero of the match, who played as important a role as Ishant Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane.
Showing his fighting instincts, Kumar batted well in the first innings and stitched a game-changing partnership with Rahane. He scored a useful 36, which took India's first-innings score to 295.
With the ball, the swing master made a mockery of the England top order and reduced them to 70/3, removing Cook, Sam Robson, and Ian Bell in the process. He swung the ball prodigiously and made life difficult for the English batters.
Just when England looked set to take a big lead, Kumar got the most important wicket of centurion Gary Ballance. He eventually finished with figures of 6/82 as England just managed to sneak a 24-run lead.
Just like in the first innings, Kumar made a vital contribution with the bat in the second. He shared a 99-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja for the 8th wicket to put the pressure back on England. He scored a well-crafted half-century and was instrumental in India setting a daunting target for England