By Rory Dollard, Pa Cricket CorrespondentPublished: 08:41 EDT, 14 August 2021 | Updated: 13:55 EDT, 14 August 2021England captain Joe Root reeled off his fifth Test century of the year as he once again carried his side's batting hopes against India at Lord's. Bairstow was bounced out by Mohammed Siraj for 57 in the afternoon but Root ploughed on as he continued his single-handed mission to drag English batting to a higher plane. Neither batsman allowed India to settle into a groove outside off, with a reliable stream of runs in the arc around third man. India used Siraj as a battering ram at the start of the afternoon, with Root coping calmly with a diet of short stuff while Bairstow succumbed. A familiar celebration unfolded and he was soon chalking up another landmark, with Ishant's stiff footwork giving him the boundary that took him past 9,000 Test runs.

Source: The Nation August 14, 2021 18:00 UTC