A lot was expected from Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and skipper MS Dhoni. But, they disappointed on the green turf wicket at the Lord’s. It was Ajinkya Rahane, who saved the day for India with a brilliant hundred. It was Rahane’s second Test hundred, which came at the right time.
From a precarious 145/7, India scored 295, which even the English side did not expect. Rahane was well supported by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (36), who has emerged as an all-rounder in this series. Mohammed Shami (19) and Ishant Sharma (12) too showed some resistance.
Other Indian batsmen, who contributed to some extent, were Vijay (24), Pujara (28) and Kohli (25). Dhawan (7), Dhoni (1), Jadeja (3) and Binny (9) failed to rise to the occasion. Jimmy Anderson took four wickets, while Broad and Stokes claimed two wickets each.
