London [UK], July 8 : Team India will be heading for the third Test against England at the iconic Lord's with confidence and plenty of milestones awaiting them as they aim to continue their winning momentum from the second Test.
The match at Lord's will start on Thursday. India has won two of their Lord's fixtures in their past three tours. India won in 2014 under MS Dhoni's captaincy followed by a memorable win in the 2021-22 series by team led by Virat Kohli.
At Lord's, India has played 19 Tests, winning three, losing 12 and four have ended in a draw.
India's first-ever win at Lord's came in 1986 during the 1986 tour, which India won 2-0. India elected to field first in the Lord's Test. Graham Gooch's century (114) was the highlight of England's score of 294, with Chetan Sharma (5/64) producing a brilliant five-wicket haul.
An unbeaten 126* by Vengsarkar was the start of his dream run in the UK, taking India to 341 runs and giving them a 47-run lead. Kapil came in clutch during the second innings, producing a spell of 4/52, reducing England to 35/3. The hosts could not recover from it, as Maninder Singh (3/9) took down the lower order to sink England to 180, earning India a 133-run lead. Despite some hiccups, India managed to chase down the target of 134 runs, taking an early 1-0 lead.
Their first win of the 21st century came under Dhoni in 2014. After England elected to field first, Ajinkya Rahane's masterclass knock of 103 took India to 295. Gary Ballance's 110 gave England a 24-run lead as they scored 319 runs in their first innings, despite Bhuvneshwar Kumar's 6/82 that ate through the English top-order.
In reply, Murali Vijay's masterful 95 at the top and lower-order resistance from Ravindra Jadeja (68) and Bhuvneshwar (52) took India to 342, putting them in the front seat with a 318-run lead. Set 319 to win, Ishant Sharma single-handedly dismantled the middle-order with his figures of 7/74. Except for Joe Root's 66, no other batter crossed the 40-run mark. England was skittled out for 223 runs, losing by 95 runs.
The third win at Lord's was when Virat and his men made England witness "hell" in their own territory. England elected to field first, with a 126-run stand between Rohit Sharma (83) and KL Rahul kickstarting things off. While the rest of the Indian order did not contribute much, KL produced a batting masterclass for ages with a 250-ball 129, timing each of his silky-smooth drives to perfection and knowing just when to leave the ball. India made 364 in their first innings, with James Anderson getting a fifer.
A marathon 180* by Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow gave England a 27-run lead, as they made 391 runs, with Mohammed Siraj's four-fer being a highlight. In the second innings, when India's top order, except for Rahane (61) failed them, the unlikely duo of Jasprit Bumrah (34*) and Mohammed Shami (56*) rattled England with a 89-run stand for the ninth wicket, taking India to 298/8, giving England 272 runs to chase.
During the team huddle, Virat asked his bowlers to "make England see hell out there" during their run-chase on the final day of the match. India did just that, bundling out England for just 120, with Siraj's four-fer and Bumrah's three wickets standing out.
Will skipper Gill give Team India their fourth Lord's victory and put England on the back foot by defeating them at this prestigious venue?
India scored a handsome victory at Edgbaston in the second Test to level the five-match series.