Walking to the media centre in the morning, I asked Nasser Hussain how he saw the game. India want one hour of Pant and that’s one thing England don’t want, he said.
Lord’s isn’t just another Test in a five-match series – it’s a venue that brings together cricket, culture and commerce. A game here is a social occasion, a parade of celebrities, a place to see cricket A listers.
On any match day the scene around Lord’s is pretty routine – spectators spilling out of the St John’s Wood tube station, MCC members clutching food hampers queuing up early to reserve seats, desperate fans looking for last minute ticket deals near the North Stand gate.
Despite the rush and pre-game nervous expectation, order prevails and all seems well at Lord’s. Practically no police personnel in sight but plenty of helpful stewards to guide and assist. Lord’s respects cricket, is extremely mindful of maintaining its unique history and genuinely cares for spectators who walk in through its 200-year-old gates. The ‘stadium experience’, for privileged guests in the exclusive Grand Stand boxes or those in the Mound Stand is outstanding.
Lord’s isn’t flashy, just coolly efficient, everything works with clockwork efficiency and even minor details are ticked off. Examples: When the narrow passage near the Grand Stand gets crowded during lunch, volunteers steer spectator traffic. With London experiencing searing heat, Lord’s issued an advisory to ticket holders about how to cope with the situation.
To an extent the Lord’s Test was a Sachin Tendulkar show – the ‘God of cricket’ (200 Tests, 100 hundreds) visiting the ‘Home of Cricket’ (since 1810). Wearing a sharp custom-made double-breasted suit, the legend rang the bell to start the Test in a series that carries his name, unveiled his portrait in the Pavilion, then sat in the ECB box waving to adoring fans.
While Lord’s is celebrated for culture, history and tradition, it also has a grip on the commercial side of cricket. Apparently, the revenue earned from merchandise sales and hospitality is more than from ticket sales. During lunch Lord’s is a buzzing food court where every kind of cuisine (British, Indian, Greek, Lebanese) is available.
The Lord’s shop has long queues all day with people wanting to buy the wide variety of stuff there. Apart from the caps and shirts, this Test the SRT range was the hottest selling product – SRT portrait souvenir, notebook, magnet, mug, water bottle, key rung, tote bag!
Other Indian cricket royalty was also all over Lord’s. A sprightly Sunny Gavaskar celebrated his 76th birthday, and when presented multiple cakes by his multiple well-wishers he issued a typically funny disclaimer: As I was not a good cutter I asked my brother-in-law Vishy, an expert cutter, how to do it.
Sourav Ganguly appeared at his favourite venue, to revisit his 1996 debut hundred and the dramatic Salman Khan-like act during the 2002 NatWest final. Pujara rang the bell and Mithali Raj too shared this honour.
While Lord’s lived up to its reputation as an iconic venue, the cricket sprung a surprise. The pitch bowled a googly – its flat nature offered little to bowlers and the slow nature inhibited stroke play. Batters switched to denial mode, intent on solid defence, playing time and shutting down risk. With disciplined bowlers offering no gifts, batting became a crawl, a huge change from the carefree shot-making of the previous two games.
Regardless of the conditions, class finds a way to assert itself. Root took another step towards greatness, scoring his 37th Test hundred, the eighth at Lord’s. KL Rahul was sedate, technically pure, mentally sturdy, calm and composed like a monk. Bumrah got five again, challenging batters, asking awkward questions every time he had the soft/hard/out of shape Dukes ball in his hand.
But matches are decided by brilliant play and the occasional brain fades. It’s the clutch moments that matter, Rishabh’s first innings run out was one such instance. And when Harry Brook was bowled middle stump in the second innings – sweeping a fast bowler! – Stuart Broad looked at fellow commentator Gavaskar and exclaimed: Stupid, stupid, stupid.