IND vs ENG 3rd Test 2025 Day 1 Stat Highlights: England Resort to Old-Fashioned Test Cricket, Joe Root Unbeaten on 99

England looked away from Bazball on the opening day and turned to old-fashioned Test cricket, scoring 251/4 in 83 overs on Day 1 of the IND vs ENG 3rd Test 2025 at the Lord's Cricket Ground on July 10. The legendary Sachin Tendulkar rang the iconic five-minute bell at the start of play in the IND vs ENG 3rd Test and soon after, the action got underway with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett getting off to a cautious start with Ben Stokes choosing to bat first this time around. When Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj did not find any initial success with the ball in hand, it was Nitish Kumar Reddy who struck twice in one over, removing both England openers Zak Crawley (18) and Ben Duckett (23). England had Ollie Pope (44) and Joe Root stitch a steady 109-run partnership with the hosts not losing a single wicket in the second session. But India fought back with the first ball after tea with Ravindra Jadeja getting the wicket of Ollie Pope. Joe Root and England captain Ben Stokes then joined forces after Harry Brook (11) was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah and the two ensured that England did not lose more than four wickets on a day where their run-rate was low in stark contrast to what we have seen from the hosts in the 'Bazball' era. Joe Root finished Day 1 on 99* and his 79-run unbeaten partnership with Ben Stokes (39*) gave England the hope of a solid first innings total. For India, Nitish Kumar Reddy took two wickets (2/46) while Jasprit Bumrah (1/35) and Ravindra Jadeja (1/26) scalped one each.