At 209 for eight, England looked set to bowl out India quickly with ample time remaining to chase down a target. However, England let their advantage slip, instead focusing on winning a battle of egos with India's tailenders, Jasprit Bumrah in particular. England were left to rue their mistake as a defiant Bumrah along with Mohammed Shami batted brilliantly to put India back in a position of strength. Former Australian spinner Shane Warne slammed England, labelling their tactics "horrible", backing India to "win or draw" the Test.
"Horrible tactics from Eng. Why don't the bowlers say no I don't want 5/6 fielders on the fence - as how am I getting the batsman out skip. Will Eng go for these runs ? Remember when NZ set 270 of 75 overs & Eng never considered the chase. India win or draw for me," tweeted Warne.
Another ex-Aussie cricketer Tom Moody too laid into England's tactics while others lauded Bumrah and Shami's stoic resistance.
Things started well for the English on Day 5, dangerman Rishabh Pant (22) falling to Ollie Robinson before he could do any serious damage. Ishant Sharma did well to score 16 off 24 balls but fell prey to a slower ball from Robinson.
India were staring down the barrel as Bumrah walked out with the bat in hand. Having dished out a bouncer barrage at James Anderson during England's innings, it was expected that England bowlers too would pepper him with short balls.
However, the hosts stuck at it for way too long, allowing Bumrah and Shami to get a handle on things. Having survived the bouncer barrage and verbal altercations with the English players, Bumrah and Shami went about making merry at Lord's.
Shami reached his second Test half-century as India's lead swelled to over 250 at Lunch on the final day of the Lord's Test.
India declared their innings just after Lunch on 298 for eight, setting England a target of 272 runs.