Joe Root stuck on 99 not out at the end of day one at Lord's as England dig in with the bat after rare Ben Stokes decision

When Ben Stokes insisted on the eve of the third Test that England were not ‘stuck in our ways’, he was talking about the toss. But on a slow-paced opening day at Lord’s, it was his team’s batting that hinted at an open-mindedness many thought beyond them.

Led by an unbeaten 99 full of discipline and class from Joe Root, England closed on 251 for four, a scoreline that felt not so much old-fashioned as obsolete. At 3.02 an over, this has been their slowest-scoring innings at home in the Bazball era, and a solid retort to those who deplored their lack of application at Edgbaston.

Stokes had even batted first as the sun beat down on London, and finished the day feeling better about life on 39, even if he spent a few minutes of the final 15 complaining to the umpires about an on-field gathering of ladybirds. There are many reasons to blame the ICC, but this was not among them.

More worrying, perhaps, for England’s captain was the stoppage that preceded the infestation, as he underwent treatment for apparent tightness in the groin. He carried on batting, but Stokes can’t flex a limb these days without everyone fearing the worst.

Other factors contributed to the day’s slowness. The pitch, after some early help for India’s seamers, dozed throughout the afternoon, as it often does on the first day here. And there were the now familiar grumbles about the Dukes ball, which India succeeded in changing, though only once.

But a more gung-ho England might easily have reacted to the torpor by throwing their wickets away in search of treasure. After a frenetic opening stand of 43 between Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, this England knuckled down, fulfilling the bit of the Bazball contract that rarely gets a mention: the importance of absorbing pressure.

And few do that as well as Root. Strange to report, but the leading runscorer in England’s history had struggled to get into this series. He helped them over the line at Headingley with an unobtrusive half-century, but at Edgbaston tickled Mohammed Siraj down the leg side for 22, and was then bowled by Akash Deep playing round his front pad for six.

On each occasion, he could barely drag himself from the middle, an all-time great disconsolate at missing out on one of the flattest pitches he can ever have encountered. He was not in the mood to miss out again.

Root loves batting against India, and he loves batting at Lord’s. The first equation has now brought him 3,054 runs at nearly 59, the second 2,121 at 57. He saw a surface whose only inconvenience was its lack of life, and set about playing the innings his team needed.

He was so steadfast that Siraj tried to goad him by wondering what had happened to Bazball. ‘I want to see’ he barked, following through to within a couple of feet. But, for all that Indian fans remember Root’s fateful reverse-scoop off Jasprit Bumrah at Rajkot last year, Siraj had chosen the wrong target: Root was not for budging, still less for sledging.

Crucially, he took centre-stage in the two partnerships that buttressed England’s day. First, he added 109 in 35 overs with Ollie Pope, who survived a tough chance first ball to Shubman Gill in the gully to chisel out 44. It was a pity, then, that he should edge a loose drive from Ravindra Jadeja’s first delivery after tea – well held by substitute wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel after Rishabh Pant hurt a finger.

That followed a middle session in which India didn’t want to give up cheap runs, nor England cheap wickets. A stasis ensued, of the kind that was supposed to have gone the way of £3 coffees. Between lunch and tea, to the delight of Bazball’s critics and the incredulity of everyone else, Root and Pope added 70 from 24 overs.

A somnolence settled on the crowd, already rendered drowsy by temperatures pushing 30 degrees. This was how Test cricket used to be. Was it better or worse? It depended on your perspective.

After Bumrah bowled Harry Brook – freshly anointed as Test cricket’s No 1 batsman – for 11, Root developed his second main alliance with Stokes, still searching for rhythm with the bat. At 172 for four, the innings could have gone either way, but the old ball refused to do India’s bidding, and England opted for pragmatism as the shadows lengthened.

It was just as well, after their openers had fallen in the first over after mid-morning drinks to Nitish Kumar Reddy, who in the second Test had been a spare part, dismissed twice for a single and bowling six wicketless overs. 

Now Duckett under-edged a pull down the leg side to depart for 23, while Crawley could do little about a beauty that straightened off the seam and took the edge.

But the excellence of the ball could not mask a horrible innings, in which Crawley was otherwise all over the place, taking guard outside his crease or deep within it, charging and missing, and at one point almost bowled behind his legs.

Since the start of last summer, he has averaged less than 25. Take out his 124 against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge in May, and the figure drops below 20. But he could go an entire series without a score, and it wouldn’t bother England. 

How do we know? Because he averaged eight in New Zealand before Christmas, and received nothing more than a consolatory pat on the back.

By the end, with the crowd groaning in disappointment as it became clear Root would not reach three figures before the close, Crawley’s travails had been forgotten. But for how much longer?