On Day 2 of the third Test between England and India at Lord’s, Joe Root delivered a moment of brilliance on the pitch that will go down in history. Root’s spectacular one-handed diving catch at first slip dismissed Karun Nair just as he was about to reach a well-deserved fifty. The dismissal ended Root’s excellent 61-run partnership with KL Rahul and marked his 211th outfield catch in Test cricket, surpassing former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid’s record.
In reply to England’s 387, India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal early but recovered quickly owing to Nair and Rahul’s partnership. However, the incident occurred after England captain Ben Stokes struck the edge of Nair’s bat, causing it to fly directly towards Root. Stokes used an angled delivery to square up Nair. The ball touched the bat’s shoulder and flew low to first slip.
Joe Root, slightly wider than normal, dived to his left and caught the ball with his wrong hand, just millimetres above the turf.
The third umpire confirmed that the fingers were under the ball, and Nair walked back for 40 off 62. Root now has the most catches in Test cricket history (211) among non-wicketkeepers, surpassing Dravid. Notably, this milestone occurred on the same day that Root scored his 37th Test century.
Watch the video below:
India lose their second wicket!
Root holds on to a low catch to his left, Karun Nair goes for a 40.
IND 74/2 trailing by 313 runs.
*_✏️ (THE CRICKET ARMY) 🔰_* pic.twitter.com/8HGkMLtHrH
— Mahaveer Rathore (@Mahaveer12346) July 11, 2025
Jasprit Bumrah enters into Lord’s honours board
While Root stole headlines with his catch and century, Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling in the first innings earned him a place in the Lord’s honours board, becoming the 14th Indian bowler to achieve it. Though he missed the previous Test, Bumrah was looking at his best at the home of cricket, finishing with figures of 5/74 in 27 overs. The ace Indian pacer’s victims included Harry Brook, Root, Stokes, Chris Woakes, and Jofra Archer. At the time of writing, India’s score stands at 80/2, and the visitors are trailing by 307 runs with Rahul and Shubman Gill at the crease.
![[Watch] ENG vs IND 2025: Joe Root's one-handed stunner ends Karun Nair's innings at Lord's 1 [Watch] ENG vs IND 2025: Joe Root's one-handed stunner ends Karun Nair's innings at Lord's](https://cricketmood.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Joe-Root-plucks-blinder-to-dismiss-Karun-Nair-on-Day-2-of-the-Lords-Test.jpg)



