Ashwin, fresh off a hundred with the bat, had not got a wicket in the first innings here but as the match wore on, he began to find some assistance which he expertly exploited. But this was not before openers Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam put on a confident 62-run stand. The pitch had no demons on it until then and the duo began to drive well against the pacers, putting both Mohammad Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah under the sword a little. The confident strokes gave Bangladesh something to cheer about in an otherwise woeful game. However, Hasan eventually nicked Bumrah and was caught well by Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully.

Ashwin gradually began to make his presence felt with teasing lines and the occasional turn and bounce threatening the left-handers. He first had Shadman caught at midwicket, before bowling Mominul Haque with a beautiful offbreak that beat the outside edge. Mushfiqur Rahim came in with an intent to counterattack and even lofted Ashwin for a six before he mistimed the encore and was caught at mid on. In the daunting chase, Bangladesh were in the doldrums before bad light forced an early end to the day’s play. Despite the loss of overs, India had forged ahead thanks to the quick work of the batters earlier in the day.

Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant registered tons and put on a 167-run stand that had Bangladesh chasing leather. The play got underway on time on an overcast morning despite overnight and early morning rains. Pant got India going with a pull shot off Mehidy Hasan Miraz for a four and his second four of the day was a controlled pull off Hasan Mahmud.

Gill, who began watchfully, came down the track and struck two sixes off Mehidy to bring up a fine half-century, the fifty-run stand was raised soon after, and India also extended their lead past 350. But it was a watchful start in the first hour as India managed 48 runs in 15 overs despite Pant striking another four off Mehidy.

Pant got to his fifty close to 30 minutes into the second hour, taking 88 balls to get there having started the day at 12 off 13. It was a wait and watch approach from the pair as they cashed in on the loose deliveries. Gill put away a slow, short delivery from Mahmud for a four, followed by a fine shot from Pant as he came down the track and went inside-out off Mehidy for a boundary. Gill also came down the track to Mehidy, just about clearing the long-on boundary for his third six.

Pant executed a reverse-sweep off Shakib Al Hasan for a four to raise the century stand. There was, perhaps, a message from the dressing room, as Pant shifted to a higher gear, punching a Mahmud delivery for a boundary, followed by a lap shot for a six. Gill came down the track to Shakib and converted the ball into a full-toss as he played it wide of cover for a four. To add to Bangladesh’s woes, their skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto put down a catch to give Pant a reprieve. Pant then struck two fours off Shakib despite it being the last over before Lunch as India asserted their authority.

The top gear continued post the break as Pant raced through the 80s and 90s with a flurry of boundaries to bring up his sixth Test ton, marking a memorable return to Test cricket after two years. He was dismissed caught and bowled by Mehidy soon after but Gill clipped his way to his hundred – fifth in Tests – as India piled on the misery. The declaration came with about an hour’s play left in the second session, before Ashwin and Co. took over.

Brief scores: India 376 & 287/4 decl (Shubman Gill 119*, Rishabh Pant 109) lead Bangladesh 149 & 146/4 (Najmul Hossain Shanto 51; R Ashwin 3-63) by 357 runs

The fall and rise of Root

Root was bracketed alongside his peers Steven Smith, Virat Kohli, and Kane Williamson as the modern day ‘Fab Four’ who dominated the batting charts in the 2010s. While his peers peaked at one point, Root was left behind in comparison though he steadfastly remained the best among the rest. But since 2021, the narrative has turned on its head with Root hitting his zenith as a batter. Root’s aggregate of 4579 runs is 2000+ runs adrift of the next best batter in this period while his 17 hundreds is ten centuries more than any other player barring Kane Williamson who is a distant second in the list with nine hundreds. (The numbers are partially driven by the fact England play more Test cricket than any other nation. Among non-English batters, the most batted by anyone in this phase in Marnus Labuschagne’s 63 innings, way short of Root’s 90) It’s not just the volume of runs that puts Root at a pedestal, it’s the manner in which he got those runs. He averages 55.84 in this period which is the second highest for any batter behind Williamson’s 64.34 (1500+ runs), but the latter has batted just over a third of Root’s tally (33 innings to Root’s 90).

Most runs in Tests since 2021

The big change in Root’s game has been in terms of converting the starts to big scores. Up until the end of 2020, he crossed fifty 66 times across 97 Tests but only about a quarter of those were converted to three figures (17) – second worst by a batter in the period. In 49 Tests since, he has doubled the tally of tons to 34 at a rate of converting every second 50+ score to a 100 – the best in this period. In fact, his tally of 17 hundreds since 2021 is the same as the combined aggregate of his Fab Four companions Williamson (9), Smith (6), and Kohli (2).

Root pre and post 2021

Root’s rise has to do with two major factors: his significantly improved home record and embellished second innings stats.

Soaring at home

Between 2013 and 2020, 18 batters scored 2000+ runs at home and Root’s home average of 50.56 was only the ninth best in this group headed by Kohli (72.45), Smith (71.00), Warner (70.62), and Williamson (67.29). England was a tough place to bat, compared to most other countries, especially in the period between 2018 to 2021, and this is reflected notably in the stats. Of the nine English batters with 1000+ runs at home between 2013 and 2020, Cook was the only other batter to average 40+ (43.89), underlining Root was country miles ahead of the rest of the pack even in the not so friendly conditions.

Root turned a corner in his career as the calendar flipped to 2021, kicking off the year with big daddy hundreds in the two Tests in Galle followed by a double century in his landmark 100th Test at Chepauk. He carried on his form to the home summer where the rest of his teammates struggled, leading the run charts in the home rubber against India with 737 runs – 333 runs more than the next.

Things took a brighter turn after Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum were appointed at the helm of affairs in the summer of 2022 relieving Root from captaincy duties. The tracks in England turned out to be among the most conducive for batters, aligning with their game modelled on attacking batsmanship. Root marched on his golden run from 2021 to the ‘Bazall’ era and his record at home soared. In 25 Tests in England across the last four seasons, Root averages 65.14 – in the territory of his peers when they were at their peak. The impact Root has had in the last 3.5 years is also reflected in his strike – up by 28% and he is scoring 15 runs more per 100 balls, and this hasn’t come detrimental to his stay at wicket which has increased by ten balls per innings on average.

Root at home

Second innings stats

Root enhanced numbers at home says one half of the story of his resurgence while the other half can be rationalized by his polished second innings stats. Since the start of 2021, Root is the only batter in the world to aggregate 1000+ runs in second innings (1855) at 50.13 – a significant jump from his 43 in the period till 2020. The big shift has happened in home Tests: in 25 home Tests in this period Root’s second innings average of 75.43 dwarfs his first innings average of 58.87.

Dissecting it further, Root’s fourth innings numbers have had a meteoric rise during the ‘Bazball’ era. Up until May 2022, Root averaged 32 across 37 fourth innings knocks with a highest of 87. He set the tone for the ‘Bazball’ era of fourth innings chases hitting an unbeaten 115 to guide England home in pursuit of 277 at Lord’s. This was followed by an unbeaten 142 in the series decider against India in Edgbaston later in the summer where England made their highest successful fourth innings chase of 378. In ten outings in fourth innings during the ‘Bazball’ era, Root averages a Bradman-esque 94.16 at a strike rate of 68.

Second innings stats pre & post 2021

Liberation from the burden of captaincy

Whether letting go of captaincy duties and embracing the new ‘Bazball’ style has unleashed the beast in Root the batter is anyone’s guess, but the numbers do back the theory that it has. Though Root had a productive run as a batter in the last 15 months of his captaincy tenure averaging 54.37 in 20 Tests since 2021, England endured a barren run as a team. In his last 17 Tests in charge, only one ended in an England win while they tasted defeat in as many as 11. However, since giving up captaincy, Root has averaged 57.11 in 29 Tests and is scoring at 68.08 per 100 balls with nine three figure scores – the best phase of his career.

Root’s career progression

Root is also one of the select few players who enjoyed a good run as a batter in his post captaincy period, in his case the best phase of his career.

Batting record after being relieved of full time captaincy

Minimum 20 Tests as captain & 15+ Tests after resigning from full time captaincy.

For a large part of his career, Root was chasing his peers to the throne of the best batter in the world. It took a while, but Root finally caught up with the rest of the pack and he is now firmly in the driver’s seat as they edge closer to the sunset of their respective careers. Root will have sights set on Tendulkar’s tally of 15921 runs and should he scale that peak, it will certainly be the crowning glory of his career.

Never before has the ICC board been so strongly united in its support for a single director. Over the years, India has exported several leaders to the ICC, including Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar, N Srinivasan, and Shashank Manohar, and none of them could claim the unanimous and overwhelming backing of the ICC members.

Dalmiya (in 1997) had to rely on the votes of Associate nations and the Asian bloc to fend off challenges from the England-Australia-New Zealand-West Indies group in a vertically split ICC. When Pawar ascended the position in 2010, Australia and New Zealand were pushing for John Howard, the former Prime Minister of Australia. Srinivasan (2014) managed to win over England and Australia, but many other boards were not fully aligned with him. He was, after all, one of the architects of the highly controversial Big Three arrangement. Manohar (2017), who dismantled the Big Three system, garnered global support, but questions remained about whether he had the full backing of the BCCI at all.

At just 35, Shah becomes the youngest administrator to lead the world governing body with unanimous support. It is remarkable that in a very short time, he managed to gain so much trust from its members. “Just as he has done for Indian cricket, both men and women, players worldwide will benefit,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in a recent column in Sportstar.

Shah’s single most contribution to world cricket to date has been ensuring cricket’s entry into the Olympics – a feat that may well be his most lasting legacy. Historically, the BCCI leaders resisted joining the Olympic fold, fearing it would compromise their autonomy at the national level, particularly vis-a-vis the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). Shah’s perspective transcended such concerns, focusing instead on the larger interest of the sport. Without the BCCI’s backing, an Olympic berth for cricket would not have been possible, and Shah saw the importance of taking the game to the Olympic Games.

At the BCCI level, few can match his achievements as the secretary. From establishing a state-of-the-art high-performance centre in Bengaluru to creating a distinct identity for women’s cricket and advocating for the primacy of Test cricket, the list of his achievements have been plenty. The best part of his five-year tenure in the BCCI, since taking over as its secretary in 2019, has been that he has consistently placed his priorities in the right areas.

One of Shah’s biggest achievements was navigating the challenging Covid period in 2020 and 2021, when much of the world had come to a standstill. But cricket in India did not. He successfully managed several international home series and, most notably, two seasons of the IPL in a strict bio-secure bubble. While his father Amit Shah’s position (the Union Home Minster) in the Central Government may have helped, the fact remained that cricket continued to thrive in India, even in the most difficult times. Crucially, he ensured that the 2021 T20 World Cup was held in the UAE, with the BCCI retaining the hosting rights. Last year, he delivered the most successful World Cup ever.

A landmark decision in Shah’s tenure was the launch of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), ensuring that both the franchises and media rights were not undervalued or undersold. The league’s teams were cumulatively sold for an impressive Rs 4,669 crore, while the media rights added Rs 951 crore, numbers hitherto unthinkable in women’s cricket. This came on top of the Rs 48,390 crore for the IPL media rights, an eye-popping and jaw-dropping valuation. The value of BCCI’s bilateral rights also saw a considerable uplift, with each international game fetching Rs 67.8 crore, bringing the overall four-year value to Rs 5,963 crore. These figures would have made even Lalit Modi proud.

Shah’s administrative journey began at the district and state levels in 2009, when he worked with the Central Board of Cricket, Ahmedabad (CBCA), and the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) as an executive. In 2013, he became the joint secretary of the GCA, where he played an instrumental role in raising the colossal Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the world’s largest cricket ground. Taking over as the BCCI secretary in 2019, Shah also oversaw one of the finest phases in Indian cricket history, marked by success at international level, including the recent T20 World Cup triumph. Notably under his leadership, the BCCI – an organization known for its factionalism otherwise – remained solidly united. Few cricket administrators in India, perhaps, can boast of such a track record. World cricket is sure to benefit from his drive to bring about improvements.

They would hope to draw some confidence from that finish at Old Trafford in their bid to pull one back. Kamindu Mendis was excellent once again as his stocks continued to rise. Debutant Milan Rathnayake was a surprise package as well. If senior players like Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews and Dimuth Karunaratne can chip in, the visitors can give a good account of themselves. Sri Lanka will also be happy with the fact that they won’t be facing Mark Wood after the pacer suffered an injury.

Sri Lanka’s history at this venue should provide some hope as well. They have not lost in over 20 years at Lord’s with all five encounters in this period ending in draws. Realistically, they wouldn’t mind a sixth one but a win would set up an interesting series decider. England on their part would hope for a better bowling performance after struggling for wickets at one point during Sri Lanka’s second innings at Old Trafford. Olly Stone has been named as Wood’s replacement and this game is a massive opportunity for the 30-year-old. His last Test appearance came three years ago and a good performance here would keep him in contention for England’s winter tours.

When:England vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, August 29 – September 2, 11 AM local time,

Where:Lord’s, London

What to expect:Clear skies are expected during the course of the Test match. While Sri Lanka would hope for a drier surface, the fast bowlers had a great outing here last month when England hosted West Indies.

Team News

England:The hosts have confirmed their XI once again ahead of the game. The skipper would love some runs after the twin failures in Manchester.

Probable XI: Daniel Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Shoaib Bashir

Sri Lanka:The visitors have announced their XI as well, making two changes in the process. Kusal Mendis has been axed in favour of Pathum Nissanka, whose last Test was in 2022. Lahiru Kumara comes in place of Vishwa Fernando, who failed to make an impact in England’s run chase.

Probable XI: Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kamindu Mendis, Milan Priyanath Rathnayake, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara

What they said:

“It’s obviously a fresh start. For me, it had a slightly different feel… it’s the first time you do it, almost like that debut feeling again.” – Ollie Pope on captaining England for the first time

Rahul captained his Lucknow Super Giants for three years but their equation has been a subject of immense debate since their public discussion after a game against Sunrisers Hyderabad last season when LSG were mauled by 10 wickets.

“He (Rahul) has been there since the inception of Lucknow Super Gants. He’s led us for three years. I have gone on record before and I have no hesitation in saying this again that he wanted to win. KL is an important part of the Super Giants family. As far as retention is concerned, I don’t know. It’s not something I’m going to discuss now. That has to be confidential. There are three months to decide on this.”

There has been intense speculation whether Rahul would be continued as captain. “What is your opinion,” Goenka quipped in a quick riposte declining a direct reply.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), having recently spoken to the owners of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, is expected to come out with a policy on retention. Does LSG have a position on the subject? Goenka refused to spell out the franchise’s stand.

“We don’t even know what is going to be the retention policy of the BCCI. Let the BCCI announce the policy. Then we will have three months to decide. It’s too early to take a call on anything like that.” He, however, made it clear that he is for the continuation of the mega-auction. “Yes, it should be there.”

With Zaheer Khan by his side, Goenka outlined what are the expectations from the new mentor. “We are looking to get into a winning habit, making winning a habit. For Zaheer, right through his playing career and then in his non-playing career, winning has been a way of life for him. That is what we want and that is what we hope to get. So when I realized he’s no longer with Mumbai Indians, I approached him. It is as simple as that.”

Zaheer has taken the place of Gautam Gambhir, who was the team’s mentor in the first two seasons, when LSG made the play-offs. But they failed to make the last-four stage in the third season. Goenka attributed the poor result to the absence of a mentor.

“We all learn from the mistakes. I think it’s not only about strategic guidance and advice (from a mentor) but also inputs. It’s about making players feel comfortable in their skin. They go out and express themselves, and do so with freedom and clarity. I think that is where we felt that we missed something last year.

“We lost that game to Hyderabad badly, then we lost to Delhi in a game which we could have won. In the game against Gujarat, we should have won with a better margin. We took it to the 20th over. Those are the situations for which we have nobody else to blame but ourselves. But we are here to improve. And we recognize that in sport you don’t win every year. You cannot win every year and you cannot win every game. But as long as that attitude of winning is there and that attitude to improve from your losses and mistakes is there, I’m satisfied.”

Goenka purchased the franchise for INR 7090 crore in 2022, making LSG the costliest team in the IPL. He has no regrets for such a heavy investment. “I’m very happy, I’m delighted and I’m excited. I see the valuations going up. We need to improve our performance.”