Having ridden on second-innings half-centuries from debutant Stuart Binny, batting at No. 8, and No. 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar to secure an honourable draw in the first Test in Nottingham, India travelled to Lord’s Test high on belief and morale. With everything to play for in their first five-Test series in England since 1959, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men were quietly confident of delivering the first strike.

But their hopes took a beating on being put in by Alastair Cook. Shikhar Dhawan perished in the third over and while three of the top four got into the 20s, India found James Anderson too hot to handle, slumping to 145 for seven when the Lancastrian trapped Binny in front.

Fortunately for them, Ajinkya Rahane was still around. The little Mumbaikar had earned a reputation for scoring big and attractively overseas – five of his first six Tests were ‘away’, and included efforts of 96 in Durban and 118 in Wellington in the preceding eight months – and enhanced his stature with a magnificent, counter-attacking 103 full of breathtaking strokes. Rahane cut a dashing figure, raking off-side shots competing with pulls as he carried Bhuvneshwar along in an eighth-wicket stand that yielded 90.

India scored 150 runs for the final three wickets to finish at 295, which was subpar but a significant improvement over the position they were in when Binny was dismissed. In addition to his batting exploits, Bhuvneshwar used swing and the well-known Lord's slope to great effect, quickly winkling out Cook, his opening partner Sam Robson, and Ian Bell. With the home side in trouble at 113 for four, India were even looking for a first-innings lead when Ravindra Jadeja caught Joe Root leg before for a hard-fought 13.

However, similar to Rahane's performance on the first day, the left-handed Gary Ballance, who would eventually represent Zimbabwe in Test cricket, put on a captivating rescue effort with Moeen Ali as 98 runs were scored for the fifth wicket. When Ballance and Moeen were ousted within three runs of one another, his 110 was recorded as 203 balls and 15 fours. Liam Plunkett enters with a barrage of boundaries, utilizing productive partnerships with Matt Prior and last man Anderson to force his side to a 24-run lead.

Although the track was still favorable for batting, India's top order, led by the relentless M. Vijay's patient 95, capitalized on it. Plunkett, who had bowled Virat Kohli first ball, caused a few jitters with a great mid-innings outburst, but from 245 for seven at Vijay's fall, India recovered to 342, thanks to Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar, and their 99-run stand for the eighth wicket. In the first innings for India, Jadeja had a dispute with Anderson two days earlier, when the English pacer was accused of shoving and mistreating the Indian all-rounder in the small passageway between the two dressing rooms. By directing his rage and pain into a game-changing 68 off just 57 balls, Jadeja had already penalized Anderson and England for the offense with a post-match hearing by Judicial Commissioner Gordon Lewis, which concluded without any significant penalties.

The Short Ball Strategy and Ishant Sharma

With Ishant Sharma knocking over Cook and Bell, England struggled to 72 for four after having a day and a half to score 319. After an anxious night thinking about what was coming at 105 for four, England advanced smoothly in the first session of the last day through Root and Moeen. Each over was skillfully negotiated without panic, which increased India's annoyance and a sense of "what if," but the runs did not happen at a feverish rate.

In a fit of almost despair, Dhoni ordered Ishant to deliver short balls at the batters' bodies. The order was going to yield amazing results.

The challenges Moeen faces with the short ball are well known; just before lunchtime, the left-hander closed his eyes and raised his bat in front of his face as Ishant fired the ball toward his helmet. The entire nation of India let out a scream that could be heard all the way back in his native country as the ball bounced off his gloves to Pujara at short leg. Timing was ideal for Moeen's dismissal as it broke a troublesome 101-run stand.

When the second session began, Dhoni didn't need a second invitation to urge Ishant to continue with the short-ball strategy, which led to a strange period of play. The on-side boundary in India was patrolled by three or four guys, and it seemed that England let their egos get the better of them. It was only right that Jadeja hit Anderson directly and caused him to be run out, assisting India in pulling off an incredible 95-run heist, as Root and Ben Stokes were previously captured in the deep pulling Ishant (7/74). On a day-five pitch, who would have predicted that an Indian pacer would have bounced out the competition?

A summary of the points

By 95 runs, India defeated England: 319 all out in 105.5 overs (Gary Ballance 110, Mooen 32, Plunkett 55 not out; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 6-82, Jadeja 2-46) and 223 all out in 88.2 overs (Ballance 27, Joe Root 66, Moeen 39; Ishant Sharma 7-74) as well as 295 all out in 91.4 overs (Cheteshwar Pujara 28, Virat Kohli 25, Ajinkya Rahane 103, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 36; James Anderson 4-60, Stuart Broad 2-79, Ben Stokes 2-40) and 342 all out in 103.1 overs (M Vijay 95, Shikhar Dhawan 32, Pujara 43, Ravindra Jadeja 58, Bhuvneshwar 52; Stokes 3-51, Liam Plunkett 3-65, Moeen Ali 2-28). Ishant Sharma was named Player of the Match.

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