India’s pacemen produced a terrific display of swing bowling to crush England by 151 runs in the second test at Lord’s on Monday, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. England were bowled out for 120 in pursuit of a target of 272 on the final day, succumbing to the steady pressure built up by the Indian bowlers.

Jasprit Bumrah (3-33) got India off to the perfect start by removing Rory Burns for a duck in the first over before Mohammed Shami (1-13) produced an unplayable out-swinger to get the better of fellow opener Dom Sibley, also for no runs.

Bumrah got the big wicket of the in-form Joe Root (33) soon after tea, the England skipper edging to opposite number Virat Kohli at first slip.

Jos Buttler, who was dropped on two by Kohli, briefly threatened to salvage a draw for the hosts, but all hopes of such a result were extinguished by Mohammed Siraj (4-32), who accounted for both Buttler and James Anderson in the same over, handing India only their third Test win at Lord’s.

Praise at home

India lavished praise on Kohli’s team, with former players and local media lining up to congratulate the side after their spectacular victory.

India went into the final day on Monday, a day after the country celebrated its 75th Independence Day, simply hoping to avoid defeat, but tail-end batting duo Bumrah and Shami helped turn the match on its head.

“LORD’S MIRACLE, INDIA STYLE!” screamed the headline of the Times of India, the country’s biggest-selling English-language newspaper.

While the popularity of Test cricket has waned due to the rise of the shorter T20 format, the match was a perfect advert for the longest form of the game, with momentum shifting one way then the other over the five days.

“That was some test match #TeamIndia! Enjoyed watching every moment of it,” India batting great Sachin Tendulkar said on social media.

“The resilience and grit that the team displayed in difficult situations is something that stood out for me. Very well played!”

Former skipper Sourav Ganguly, the current president of the cricket board, was at Lord’s with other Board of Control for Cricket in India office-bearers and lauded the team’s “character and guts”.

Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, who was at the venue working as a TV pundit, said the final day had been riveting.

“From survival to revival, the final day at Lord’s was no less than a bingeworthy thriller,” he said on Twitter.

Kohli said the win had come a day late, missing the Independence Day celebrations back home, but it was the “best gift” they could give to the people of India and Indians living in England.

And he promised there would be no let-up in intensity from his team for the remainder of the series.

“Our aim is five Test matches,” he said during the presentation ceremony. “We are not going to sit on the laurels after this match and just take it easy.

“If at all, we are going to get more intense and more precise in what we do in the next three games.”

Root shoulders blame

England captain Joe Root took responsibility for his side’s defeat, saying he got his field placing and bowling approach tactically wrong.

Shami and Bumrah’s partnership was a “pivotal” moment in the match, said Root, expressing his disappointment at England’s inability to restrict India’s second innings.

“I don’t think we dealt with that well enough tactically. It put us in a difficult position. A lot falls on my shoulders as captain. We went from a position where we could win to being behind,” he said.

“We have to give them some credit. They scored in unusual areas and made it hard to set conventional fields and you were trying to manage taking wickets but not letting the game get away from us.

“I expected us to be able to bat out the last two sessions. There’s no hiding from it, we need to get better.

“Everyone is hurting. It’s very raw right now. I feel the same as every single player in that dressing room: it’s a missed opportunity.”

Root, who was dismissed by Bumrah for 33 after posting an unbeaten 180 in the first innings, was hopeful his side would rediscover their batting form and said there was no need to press the panic button.

“When you talk about batting, it’s a collective. There have been plenty of occasions in my career when others have carried me through games,” he said.

“There’s a lot of cricket still to be played. A lot can happen within three games. It is not the time to panic.” Reuters/DM