Lord's Test: Centurion Ajinkya Rahane guides India out of trouble

London A defiant Ajinkya Rahane struck a commanding 103 to pull India out of trouble after a midinnings collapse on a lively Lords track as the visitors ended the first days play at 290 for nine in the second Test in London on ThursdayPicking up the pieces from 145 for seven in the final session Rahane notching up his second Test ton in 7 matches stitched up a 90run eightwicket partnership with Bhuvneshwar Kumar 36 to give the visitors respect on a day dominated by the England seamersRahane who brought up his century with a boundary off Stuart Broad 279 was authoritative in his strokeplay as the numberfive batsman hit 15 fours and a six in his 154ball stay at the creaseIndias Ajinkya Rahane plays a shot off the bowling of Englands Liam Plunkett during his innings of 103 on the first day of the 2nd Test between England and India at Lords cricket ground in London on ThursdayPace spearhead James Anderson 455 led the England charge as the hosts made merry on a seaming track after skipper Alastair Cook had won the toss and had no hesitation in bowling firstPutting the Ravindra Jadeja controversy aside a determined Anderson became the highest wickettaker in England surpassing fastbowling legend Fred Trueman when he accounted for Shikhar Dhawan 7 in the morning session Anderson has managed to get 233 scalps of his overall 363 wickets on English soil with Trueman 229 and former skipper Ian Botham 226 behind himRahane was Andersons final scalp of the day after a quickreflex return catch ended the batsmans exceptional innings on a greentop wicketPosttea Rahane 26 not out had continued his partnership with Stuart Binny 9 but the duo couldnt carry on together for long They had just 5 runs after the break when he lost his partner to Anderson trapped LBW It was then that India experienced their most productive batting stand of the dayThe BhuviRahane duo started by bringing up the 150run mark quickly and then was helped by some bad bowling from England in the third sessionRahane brought up his halfcentury off 101 balls with 7 fours and then the 50run partnership came up in the 75th over of the day An over later they brought up Indias 200 something that looked improbable in the postlunch sessionEngland took the new ball and broke the partnership in the 82nd over with Kumar bowled by Broad 279 after his 84ball stay laced with 7 fours Mohammed Shami 14 not out and Ishant Sharma 12 not out hung on in the final few overs to frustrate the England bowlersEarlier the Englands pacemen upped their game on a seaming pitch but they werent helped by wicketkeeper Matt Prior dropping two catches as India who were 73 for two at lunch were left tottering at 140 for six at tea While the pacers bowled too short in the morning session the second session saw Englands pace quartet duly rewarded for pitchingup more often as four wickets fell for 67 runs in 28 overs after several India batsmen made starts but could not press onVirat Kohli dropped off the last ball before lunch by Prior had only added five runs to his interval score of 20 when he was drawn forward by James Anderson This time Prior diving to his right held the catch as Anderson took his 70th Test wicket at Lords a new ground record that surpassed the mark he had shared with England great Ian BothamAllrounder Ben Stokes then produced an excellent offcutter to bowl Cheteshwar Pujara 28Before this match India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had spoken of wanting his side without an away win in 15 Tests to be exposed to typically English conditions But he was unable to pass his own exam when to a fulllength delivery from Broad he got an edge through to opposing keeper PriorDhoni was out for one with Broad now having taken his 250th Test wicketJeers for JadejaNew batsman Ravindra Jadeja was unusually for a crowd at Lords booed as he walked out to the middle That reflected the allrounders role in an alleged confrontation with Anderson during last weeks drawn first Test at Trent Bridge that led India to charge the Lancashire seamer under the International Cricket Councils code of conductWednesday saw England retaliate with a charge against Jadeja and now both players could be banned from matches during the remainder of this fiveTest seriesAnderson though didnt get the chance to bowl at Jadeja with muchcriticised parttime offspinner Moeen Ali having the lefthander lbw for three to leave India 128 for sixAnderson started the day on great note claiming the wicket of lefthanded opener Shikhar Dhawan in the third over well caught low down at third slip by Gary Ballance after the ball pitched outside leg stump and cut away sharply to take the edgeDhawans exit saw Anderson become the most successful bowler in Tests in England his 230th wicket surpassing the record of England fastbowling great Fred TruemanIndias 11 for one should have become 11 for two when Murali Vijay who made a hundred at Trent Bridge was dropped by Prior diving to his right off Broad on nought Anderson didnt concede a run until his 32nd delivery but it was firstchange Liam Plunkett who struck next when Vijay aiming legside was well caught by Ballance for 20Prior who has struggled with Achilles and thigh injuries this season then reprieved Kohli off Ali But fortunately for England the Sussex gloveman made amends