This Day, That Year: India Beat England by 95 Runs in 2014 Lord's Test

The 2014 England tour was nothing short of nightmare for Team India. After receiving the 4-0 drubbing in previous Test series, India had their backs against the wall after losing first Test match in 2014.

However, the then leader Mahendra Singh Dhoni rallied his troops to clinch a historic win at an iconic Lord’s to level the series.

After winning the toss, Three Lions captain Alastair Cook had asked India to bat first in swinging conditions. The decision had a tremendous result as Indian top order tried to play out initial overs. But the English pacers were on fire and got wickets at regular intervals.

Apart from Ajinkya Rahane, no other batsman got going in the first innings. The elegant batsman got excellent support from Bhuvneshwar Kumar towards the end of the innings as India posted 295 before being bowled out.

In the process, Rahane scored a hundred at Lord’s. Also, Bhuvneshwar contributed with a valuable 36 runs while batting in the lower order. James Anderson was rewarded with four wickets for his splendid efforts.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s magic with ball and bat:

Bhuvneshwar bowled brilliant spell upfront to remove English openers very quickly. He again got back into another spell to remove Ian Bell. But Gary Ballance continued his resistance and scored runs at will.

Once, he was dismissed wickets fell in chunk. On the other hand, Liam Plunkett contributed with an unbeaten fifty. Bhuvneshwar was the star while bagging six wickets in the innings.

The Indian top order were much better in the second innings as they led things with control. Mural Vijay made an excellent 95 run knock at the top while Cheteshwar Pujara and Shikhar Dhawan chipped in with a useful contribution.

But the middle order flattered very badly with England sniffing a chance to close out the game quickly.

However, lower order batsmen Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar scored the fifties to help reach a massive 342 runs. Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett managed three wickets each in the innings.

Having asked to chase a massive 319, England lost their top order inside 30 overs.

But Joe Root and Moeen Ali put a 100-run stand for the fifth wicket. Once the duo returned pavilion, there was not much resistance from other players as India won the game comfortably by 95 runs.

Lanky paceman Ishant Sharma was the star while claiming seven wickets in the fourth innings.

.@ajinkyarahane88's masterly ?@BhuviOfficial's all-round skills ?@mvj888's elegant 95 ?@ImIshant's match-winning seven-wicket haul ?#OnThisDay 4 years ago, an @msdhoni-led Indian team won a Test match at Lord's after 28 years! ? pic.twitter.com/3PToxUxV1O

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 21, 2018