Joe Root produced a composed, unbeaten 99 to anchor England’s innings as the hosts closed Day One of the third Test against India at Lord’s on 251 for 4. Root, alongside captain Ben Stokes, who remained unbeaten on 39, guided England through a testing final session after early and late breakthroughs from the Indian bowlers.

After winning the toss and electing to bat on a bright Thursday morning, England were pegged back by India’s bowlers in the opening session. Young seamer Nitish Kumar Reddy struck twice in a single over to remove both openers, Ben Duckett (23) and Zak Crawley (18), reducing the home side to 44 for 2.

The early breakthroughs brought Joe Root and Ollie Pope together. The pair then led England’s recovery with a steady partnership that added substance to the innings. Root, playing with typical calm and precision, was fluent through the off-side and untroubled by the Indian attack for most of his innings. Pope contributed a solid 44 before falling just short of a half-century.