Nitish Reddy credits IPL skipper Pat Cummins after taking two wickets on Day 1 of Lord's Test

Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy made a big impact on Day 1 of the third Test against England at Lord’s, picking up two key wickets in a brilliant morning spell. He dismissed England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in the same over to provide India an upper hand in this crucial game.

After the day’s play, the 21-year-old credited his IPL captain Pat Cummins for helping him improve his bowling. Reddy is part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad in the Indian Premier League and plays under the captaincy of Pat Cummins, who is also the Australian Test and ODI captain.

“After the Australia tour, I felt I had to work on my bowling. Pat (Cummins) is my captain in IPL, and he’s been brilliant in Australia. I asked him for tips and it’s been a great learning experience. I’m seeing good progress,” Reddy said in the press conference after the close of play on Thursday.

India restrict England to 251/4

Meanwhile, India restricted England to 251/4 at stumps. Joe Root remained unbeaten on 99, while Ben Stokes was on 39. They have put on 79 for the unfinished fifth wicket so far.

Opting to bat in a home game only for the second time in the Bazball era, England chose to bat with plenty of patience on a slow surface than being on the offensive — their usual mode of operation under Stokes.

The surface wore a greenish look on the eve of the game but looked flat before the toss as a sea of fans flocked to the iconic venue.

With the series locked at 1-1, the pitch had been a big talking point heading into the third Test. India, having six bowling options, did not offer too many freebies though Edgbaston hero Akash Deep struggled to find his rhythm in his debut game here.

After a wicketless afternoon session, Ravindra Jadeja had Ollie Pope (44 off 104) caught behind first ball after tea with a ball that turned away from length. Five overs later, Jasprit Bumrah weaved his magic as he got one to nip back to pierce Harry Brook’s defense.

In the afternoon session, Rishabh Pant had an injury scare as an angled down leg ball from Bumrah crashed into his left fingertips, forcing him to leave the field.

Dhruv Jurel substituted in his absence and did a fine job. Pant’s injury, however, is not serious and he is expected to resume wicketkeeping duties on Friday.

India kept England’s run rate in check but Root and Pope chugged along to take the hosts to 153 for two at tea.

England, known for their ultra-aggressive approach, had a rather subdued session by their standards with Root and Pope going back to classical Test match batting approach.

They were happy to leave balls outside the off-stump to ensure that no damage was done. A total of 70 runs were scored from 24 overs in the middle session.

Root brought up his fifty with a boundary in the fine-leg region.

In the morning, India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy struck twice in an eventful over to leave England at 83 for two at lunch.

On expected lines, Prasidh Krishna made way for Bumrah as the sole change in the Indian playing eleven.

(With agency inputs)