All the fuss about the weather was for nothing. In the end, it took England less than two full days in effect to blow India away at Lord's and claim a 2-0 series lead. Stuart Broad and the incredible James Anderson combined to take eight wickets as India sank to defeat by an innings and 159 runs on the fourth day of the second Test. The humiliation was complete about an hour after tea, Virat Kohli's men having lasted all of 82.2 overs over two innings.
Ball by ball details and scorecard
There is no denying that this was a bad toss to lose, and that the touring batsmen had to deal with difficult batting conditions. But a side ranked No. 1 in the world is held to a higher standard. Only one team in Test history has come back from 0-2 down to win a five-match series — Don Bradman's Australia in the 1936-37 Ashes. It's reasonable to presume that India has no Bradman to call on.
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The downpour that had been forecast for Sunday did not materialise. Instead, England batted on under dull skies in the morning, declaring on a lead of 289. It was going to need a heroic effort from India's batsmen to deny the home side a win. And there wasn't one. Where Day Three was sunny, Day Four was damp and gloomy.
Anderson is not one to waste such opportunities. In the third over, he got one delivery to seam back into Murali Vijay; it kissed the inside edge on its way to Jonny Bairstow. Vijay walked back having bagged a pair; once a trusted, reliable hand at the top of the order, he has this year been out of sorts. K. L. Rahul was also flummoxed by Anderson, an in-ducker trapping him in front; he did not even bother with a review. Light rain forced an early lunch, at which stage India was 17 for two, giving Kohli an opening-pair headache with three Tests left in the series.
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There were other aches, too. India's skipper had a stiff back and had spent some time off the field on Saturday for treatment on it. He did not take the field on the fourth morning, and was thus not eligible to bat for the first 37 minutes of the Indian innings. He seemed in pain during his stay at the crease, grimacing when pushing forward to defend and limping between the wickets. India will fret over his availability and condition for the third Test, set to begin on Saturday in Nottingham.
Ajinkya Rahane walked out at four instead. He batted with caution for his 13 until he chased a wider delivery from Broad and was caught at third slip. Cheteshwar Pujara, run-out in unfortunate fashion in the first innings, was determined to stay at the crease, and made no pretense of entertaining anybody. He faced 87 balls for his 17, an innings that included 75 dot balls. Broad had been causing him trouble and eventually bowled him with a big in-swinger, the ball brushing the pads and knocking the stumps over. Kohli and Pujara had kept England at bay for half an hour but hope was quickly evaporating.
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Broad was humming now, bowling fast, getting the ball to tail in sharply. He soon claimed the Indian captain, who had clearly been struggling with his back. An awkward short delivery was fended off; the ball flicked the glove before ballooning off the batsman's thigh. Ollie Pope dived forward to hold a good catch at forward-short-leg. Kohli was convinced he had not hit the ball and reviewed the decision, but replays showed there was slight contact with the glove.
Broad was on fire and he struck again next ball, pinning Dinesh Karthik leg-before. At tea, India was six down.
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The formalities did not take long. Hardik Pandya's exit triggered a collapse of four for 14 in five overs. Only R. Ashwin resisted, his side's top-scorer in both innings, braving a couple of blows on the knuckles. He should recover in time for Trent Bridge. India may not.
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