Mohammed Siraj had a cheeky moment with Joe Root during Day 1 of the Lord’s Test as he questioned England’s much-hyped Bazball approach. Known for its aggressive and fearless batting style, England’s strategy took a surprising U-turn as they adopted a defensive stance against India.
At one point, the hosts played 28 consecutive dot balls, triggering cheers from the Lord’s crowd when a single was finally scored. Siraj, noticing the drop in intensity, walked up to Root and said, “Where is Bazball? Baz Baz Bazball, come on, I want to see.” His comments were captured on camera and quickly went viral.
Even India’s captain Shubman Gill joined the mind games, teasing England by saying, “No more entertaining cricket. Welcome back to boring Test cricket, boys,” as England crawled to 251/4 at stumps.
Nitish Reddy Shines with Early Breakthroughs
While the banter was entertaining, it was Nitish Kumar Reddy who stole the show for India with the ball. The young all-rounder dismissed both England openers—Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley—giving India a strong start.
Ravindra Jadeja later removed Ollie Pope, and Jasprit Bumrah delivered a stunning ball to bowl out Harry Brook. England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bat, but India’s bowlers made it clear they were up for the challenge.
Both teams made one change from the previous Test at Edgbaston. England brought in Jofra Archer for Josh Tongue, while India replaced Prasidh Krishna with a returning Bumrah.
As Day 1 ended, England’s Joe Root was unbeaten on 99 alongside Ben Stokes on 39, but their cautious approach raised eyebrows—especially from the Indian camp hungry to expose Bazball’s limits.
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