Discussion points: England beat India in second Test
What's the story
England beat India by an innings and 159 runs in the second Test at Lord's to take a 2-0 lead in the 5-match series. James Anderson and Stuart Broad decimated India with 8 wickets between themselves. Trailing by 289, India were bowled out for a paltry 130 runs on Day 4. Let us have a look at key discussion points.
Broad
Broad excels on Day 4 post lunch
It was one of the best bowling spells by a pacer in a session. Stuart Broad was the chief architect in ripping apart India's middle-order. He broke the resistance of Cheteshwar Pujara with a deadly in-swinger. Then came the big fish in skipper Virat Kohli. Next delivery he got a struggling DK out to blow away the spine of Indian batting.
Anderson
Anderson rules Lord's like nobody else
James Anderson was terrific across both innings. He had perfect technique to dismantle India with a five-for in the first innings in overcast conditions. That saw the visitors being bowled out for just 107 and the match looked well gone. Anderson came back hard in the 2nd innings to pick 4 scalps. The 36-year-old ruled Lord's with brilliant consistency in every over.
Woakes
Woakes fills in Stokes' position with finesse
Chris Woakes was England's hero at Lord's. The player, who made a comeback never looked out of sync. In the first innings he dismissed the dangerous Kohli with a ball that swung late after coming in. When England were reeling at 131/5, the 29-year-old went on to score a maiden Test ton. His 189-run stand with Jonny Bairstow put England in a strong position.
Openers
India's openers in complete disarray
Murali Vijay scored a pair in the Lord's Test and never looked in comfort whatsoever. His struggle on the pitch means he could be dropped for the 3rd Test. KL Rahul too was out of shape and kept nicking the odd ball behind. Together the duo accounted for 0-run stand over two innings which exposed Cheteshwar Pujara early on.
Decision
India's decision to play 2 spinners a failure
India's decision to go in with two spinners backfired heavily. R Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav did not pick a single wicket. They bowled 156 deliveries between them and it resulted in just two maidens and 112 runs. The likes of Jonny Bairstow and Woakes thrived against the duo in conditions that helped seamers. Having said that, Indian pacers too weren't consistent enough.