6 Players Who Were A Part Of Team India’s Test Victory In 2014 And 2021 At Lord’s
India and England have come a long way in the history of Test cricket. India currently holds the second position and England holds the fourth position in the ICC Men’s Test Team Rankings. This automatically makes it a battle of the big teams who are in hot pursuit of the topmost spot. And, a victory at Lord’s is something which is highly celebrated.
The Indian team has pulled off a remarkable feat by emerging victorious at ‘the home of cricket’ which is Lord’s in 2014 and 2021. Let us look at the 6 players who were a part of Team India’s Test victory in 2014 and 2021 at Lord’s.
1. Virat Kohli:
Kohli was in a bit of a slump of form in the 2014 tour of England. His performance with the bat was poor. The 2nd Test of that series at Lord’s saw Kohli get dismissed for 25 runs of 34 balls and a golden duck. It was one of those performances that Kohli would want to leave behind.
In 2021, Captain Kohli was a sight to see. Kohli with the bat scored a decent 42-run knock in the first innings, but, got out after scoring just 20 runs in the second innings. Though he could not score a century as he struggled with the bat, he still went on to lead a talented Indian side to another victory at Lord’s. He constantly pushed and lauded his team for their performance. He made sure that his team’s presence was felt.
2. Cheteshwar Pujara:
Often regarded as one of the finest players of Test cricket, Pujara is one such player who is trusted by the team. He comes into bat at the number 3 position and has performed fairly well in the same. However, his performance in both the Test matches played at Lord’s, in 2014 and 2021 respectively, failed to make any major impact.
He is one of those batsmen who can stand strong on the crease for long durations, but he struggled to score the big runs on either of the occasions.
3. Ajinkya Rahane:
Rahane is that player who can perform to the best of his abilities when his team needs him the most. In 2014, Ajinkya Rahane’s 103 in the 1st innings of the 2nd Test at Lord’s helped Team India put up a decent score. However, he failed to contribute with the bat in the second innings.
In the first innings of the 2nd Test at Lord’s in 2021, Jinx was dismissed after scoring just 1 run. However, he bounced back in the second innings by scoring a brilliant 61 runs. His contributions with the bat proved to be valuable as India went on to defeat England.
4. Ravindra Jadeja:
Ravindra Jadeja is one of India’s most sought-after all-rounders. His presence on the field boosts Team India’s performance. He is an excellent fielder. In the 2014 Lord’s Test, he failed to perform well with the bat in the 1st innings, but redeemed himself by scoring a splendid 68 runs in the 2nd innings. He was also a very economical bowler. He picked up key wickets which helped Team India defeat England.
In the 2021 Lord’s Test, Jadeja failed to pick up wickets and his contributions with the bat were also very minimal. However, his fielding is still extremely impactful. Hence, he is still regarded as one of India’s finest all-rounders.
5. Ishant Sharma:
Ishant Sharma is perhaps one of India’s most reliable and experienced bowlers. In 2014, he was awarded the Player of the Match. He picked up 7 wickets in the second innings, which completely swung the match away from England. He picked up key wickets which helped Team India win the 2nd Test by 95 runs.
In the 2021 Lord’s Test, Ishant Sharma continued his consistency. He picked up 5 important wickets at crucial times. He bowled a very economical spell in both innings. Ishant Sharma continues to be an extremely effective Test cricket bowler.
6. Mohammed Shami:
Mohammed Shami is one of India’s best fast bowlers. He was one of India’s lethal weapons. However, in the 2014 Lord’s Test, he struggled to pick up wickets and was not a very economical bowler. In the first innings, he picked up 1 wicket, giving away 58 runs in the 19-overs he bowled. Similarly, in the second innings, he picked up 1 wicket, giving away 33 runs in his 11 overs.
In the 2021 Lord’s Test, though, his bowling did not show much of an improvement. Shami picked up 2 wickets, giving away 95 runs in his 26 overs. However, in the second innings, he bowled a spell of 10 overs, picking up 1 wicket and giving away 13 runs only. Also, Shami added another dimension to his role in the Playing XI by contributing 56 crucial runs to the team’s total.
