Bazball Mayhem Highlights Brilliance of Bumrah and Root

Both were masters of a pitch that had enough to keep them engaged but not enough to yield the best outcomes.

This Test is being played on an upside-down ground rather than just a slanted one. England are winning the toss and batting at home for only the second time since the start of 2022. Jasprit Bumrah's deliveries aren't reaching the wicketkeeper. Nitish Kumar Reddy's are shocking everyone with their increased bounce. Reddy is now India's leading wicket-taker. England is playing according to the conditions, with the bowlers Bowling at 3.02 per over.

For a brief moment, it appeared like the gods had sent locusts out 20 minutes after the scheduled end of play to deliver judgment on what could be interpreted as an immoral day's play in times of moral victory. Fortunately, these were only black ants, maybe the most dangerous form of non-human life in England. Some argued that they were ladybugs.

Whoever they were, I hope they stayed around to observe two masters at work. Additionally, the concerns about the ball, as well as the subsequent adjustments around the 42nd-43rd minute, restored some regularity to the proceedings. It was only the latter bits, but Bumrah and Joe Root performed admirably on a pitch that offered enough to keep them interested but not enough to maximize their efforts.

Curiously, Root faced only 21 balls from Bumrah. Bumrah bowled 21 out of 72 with Root at the wicket. It included Root facing only one ball from Bumrah's first stint after lunch. Only Washington Sundar bowled less frequently to him.

If Root did this on purpose, it is another superb thing for a master batter to do: let poor Ollie Pope bear the weight of a red-hot Bumrah. Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj conceded just 15 runs in ten overs. Overall, Root faced only 24 balls in those ten overs. Pope later stated that if it had been a deliberate decision, it would not have been as wise. Ollie, Joe got you in there.

Bumrah drew 34 false shots that day. That's approximately two per over. That deserves more than one wicket, but the Pavilion End, which alpha bowlers from every team use at Lord's, got almost no bounce. The first ball he delivered to Ben Duckett caught the edge but did not carry to slip. He immediately requested everyone behind the wicket to move up. He bowled only four overs during that stint before moving to the Nursery End, which had greater bounce.

There was more swing and seam available throughout the day than on any of the first days of the previous three Tests, but the lack of pace and bounce made taking wickets difficult. The slow pace allowed batters to react to the movement, and even when they did edge them, they rarely carried. Except, of course, when Reddy threw huge balls of fire.

It also eliminated one of Root's most profitable scoring opportunities: the dab behind the square on the offside. He kept middling those dabs, but they didn't have the speed to get past Gully. That was evident in his strike rate and the number of inside edges that missed the stumps.

Bumrah tried both ends but had little success, even though he and India maintained decent lengths and continued to test the hitters. Despite the movement on the pitch, India's fast bowlers kept on the good length 54% of the time, compared to 37% for England on the first day in Leeds and Birmingham. That has been the general theme throughout the series. India will be pleased with their performance, as they restricted England to 251 on a day when just four wickets fell.

After tea, Bumrah returned to the Pavilion End, where the distance to hit the top of stumps had been reduced by a metre since the first session. If Ben Stokes thought Birmingham was subcontinent-like, then this was subcontinent-like with seams. What Bumrah needed was to bowl the ball of the day, which swung away 2.5 inches before nipping back in approximately six inches to hit the top of Harry Brook's off stump.

Root continued his job like a busy bee on the other end. Even against Bumrah, he attempted six incorrect shots in 21 balls. He accumulated peaceably against others, even if it never appeared to be as simple as milking them.

If Root faced the risk of struggling against Bumrah, India faced the chance of failing to strike the stumps sufficiently. However, they improved during the day, rising from 5.33% in the first session to 10.6% in the second and 15.79% in the third.

It was the finest first day of the series, despite being the slowest. There were no clear winners or losers; both teams could be pleased with their efforts, but there is still space for growth, and there was a promise of more to come if the surface deteriorated in the 28-degree heat that is causing everything to fall apart in England. Of course, the flying ants saw only a portion of it.