Rahul, Rohit put India in control at Lord’s

England suffered a demoralising first day of the second Test as a KL Rahul century led India towards a huge total after they were asked to bat first.

Rahul batted with elegance for 127 not out, growing in stature following his supporting role in an opening stand of 126 with Rohit Sharma, who made a superb 83 at Lord’s.

With India captain Virat Kohli adding 42 in a third-wicket partnership of 117 with Rahul, India moved to 276-3 and in a prime position to take complete control of the match.

James Anderson – passed fit to play – produced two excellent deliveries to remove Rohit and Cheteshwar Pujara, while Ollie Robinson provided a late boost with the wicket of Kohli.

However, the home side were collectively poor with the ball and, as the clouds gave way to evening sunshine, batting looked increasingly comfortable on a true pitch.

England were aided by the rain in the drawn first Test at Trent Bridge. The London weather is forecast to be dry for the weekend, so the hosts will need their batsmen – including Haseeb Hameed, recalled for Zak Crawley – to dig them out of this one. (BBC Sport)