IND vs ENG 2021: 5 interesting stats to emerge from the Lord's Test
India defeated England by 151 runs in the second Test of their 5-match series to take a 1-0 lead.
Many expected Joe Root's men to win the Lord's Test match, especially after they dismissed Rishabh Pant early on the final day. However, an unexpected fightback from the Indian lower-order batsmen brought the visitors back into the contest. The bowlers then delivered the knockout punch as India registered a famous victory.
All Indian cricketers played their roles to perfection in London, while England seemed over-reliant on their skipper Joe Root. Ultimately, that made a big difference in the Test match.
Now that the Lord's Test is in the history books, let's have a look at some interesting statistics that emerged from this epic battle between India and England.
1. Virat Kohli became the 3rd Indian captain to win a Test match at Lord's
Three years ago, India suffered an embarrassing defeat by an innings and 159 runs when they played against England at Lord's under Virat Kohli's captaincy. Kohli's men avenged that defeat yesterday at the same venue.
England had to bat 60 overs to deny India a victory, but India bowled them out in just 51.5 overs. With this victory, Virat Kohli became the third Indian skipper after Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni to win a Test match at the Mecca of cricket.
2. Sam Curran becomes the first player to bag a king pair at Lord's
Sam Curran scored 40 runs in just one innings against India during the 2018 Lord's Test match. However, in the recently-concluded Test at the Mecca of cricket, the Indian bowlers did not allow Curran to open his account in both innings.
Ishant Sharma dismissed him for a golden duck in the first innings. In the second innings, Mohammed Siraj picked up Curran's wicket off the first ball he faced, thus making the English all-rounder the first player to bag a king pair at Lord's.
3. Mohammed Shami overtakes Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar
Mohammed Shami played the best knock of his Test career at Lord's on Day 5 against England. He was not out on 56*, when Indian captain Virat Kohli declared the innings.
Quite a few legendary batsmen failed to record a half-century at the Home of Cricket in their Test careers. The list includes the likes of Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers. Shami now has more Test half-centuries at Lord's than all the names mentioned above.
4. Joe Root's century ends in a losing cause for the first time in his Test career
England captain Joe Root scored more than 200 runs in the Lord's Test match against India. Still, his team lost the match by 151 runs.
The defeat marked the end of two streaks. For the first time, England lost a Test in which Root scored a century, and Sam Curran lost a Test at home for the first time in his career.
5. Virat Kohli becomes the most successful Asian captain in SENA countries
South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia are considered the four countries where Asian teams struggle a lot, especially in Test cricket. However, Indian captain Virat Kohli has a good record in SENA countries as captain.
The Lord's Test was the fifth time India won a Test under Kohli in the SENA nations. The Indian skipper has become the first Asian to accomplish this feat.