Virat Kohli could be better off taking a three-month sabbatical and "go and sit on a beach", suggested former England captain Michael Vaughan. Michael Vaughan believes Kohli should take a three-month sabbatical from cricket to spend some quality time with family. The mercurial batter will be seen in action during the white-ball assignment in England.
Virat Kohli has over 8,000 runs including 27 tons at an average of nearly 50 from 102 Test matches. At the peak of his batting prowess, the star Indian batter used to churn out centuries at a steady rate. But things have gone downhill for Kohli in the past couple of years. He hasn't reached triple figures with his last international hundred being against Bangladesh in 2019 during the Day-Night Test in Kolkata.
The 33-year-old Indian is battling his worst batting slump, having just seen a subpar Indian Premier League (IPL) with Royal Challengers Bangalore. With scores of 11 and 20 at Edgbaston in the rescheduled fifth Test, Kohli prolonged his international century drought.
His attempts, while fielding, to wind up the opposition batters led to umpires giving him a warning. While Kohli looked like his usual animated self, it didn't help him find his lost mojo with the willow.
'He looks like he needs three months away from cricket': Michael Vaughan
"I look at Virat in particular. I knew he had a little bit of a rest at the end of the IPL. But he just looks to me like he needs a sabbatical. He looks like he needs three months away from cricket. Go and sit on a beach."
Vaughan told Cricbuzz
"Go and do what you can with your family because a career of 20 years, which he probably will end up getting because he's such a good player. To have a three months break, is it going to affect him? No. Will it help him? Yes," he added.
Vaughan also spoke about India's jam-packed schedule for the England series. The T20I series between India and England started yesterday(July 7), and consists of three T20Is. India won the first T20I by 50 runs and led 1-0. Meanwhile, It will be followed by three ODIs. All six matches will be played between July 7 and July 17.
"I just look at the schedule for India and England. It's ridiculous. We'll see more and more of this over the next few years. It's just impossible that all-format players will be able to play all three formats. The management of all these teams is going to have to be very clever in terms of giving them a breather," Vaughan expressed.
After the crushing defeat in the Edgbaston Test against Team India, the England cricket team is looking quite restless and troubled. After such a bad defeat at home, Ben Stokes' team is hoping to take the lead in the series again.
For this, captain Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum have made a big decision. England has announced the playing XI for the ENG vs IND third match of the Test series starting on Thursday, July 10 at Lord's, and one change has been made in it. After a gap of 4 years, star fast bowler Jofra Archer returned to the Test playing 11.
After the defeat in the Edgbaston Test, it was believed that there would be a change in the playing XI, but there was curiosity about which player would return. Apart from Archer, England also had the option of Gus Atkinson. While Archer was returning to Test cricket after a long time, Atkinson was injured in the month of May and was recalled to the squad only for the Lord's Test.
The pair of Stokes and McCullum decided to give preference to Archer's fast speed and ability to get bounce for this test. With this, Archer is making a comeback in Test cricket after about 4 years and 5 months. Coincidentally, his last Test match was also against Team India, when he was part of the Ahmedabad Test in February 2021.
Tongue out of the Playing XI
The surprising thing is that the bowler in whose place Archer was selected in the playing XI has taken the most wickets in the ENG vs IND series so far. The English team has decided to exclude young pacer Josh Tongue from the Lord's Test.
Tongue has taken the most wickets in this series so far, 11. However, one reason for this is his lack of control over line length, due to which he was proving to be quite expensive.
Most Test Wickets Taken by Indian Bowlers at Lord's
As the Men in Blue moves to the hallowed turf of Lord’s for the third Test starting July 10, let's take a look at the most test wickets taken by Indian bowlers at Lord's.
India beat hosts England by 336 runs in the second Test to level the five-match Test series 1-1. When news emerged that Jasprit Bumrah will not be playing the second Test at Edgbaston, team India were written off completely, with pretty much everyone expecting England to maul them and go 2-0 up. However, in a twist that no one saw coming, it was India who ended up obliterating the hosts, hammering them on the back of an extraordinary performance.
As the Men in Blue moves to the hallowed turf of Lord’s for the third Test starting July 10, let's take a look at the most test wickets taken by Indian bowlers at Lord's.
Most Test Wickets Taken by Indian Bowlers at Lord's
1. Bishan Singh Bedi | 17 Wickets
Former left-arm orthodox, Bishan Singh Bedi sits at the top of the list of most test wickets taken by Indian bowlers at Lord's with 17 wickets in only 4 Tests at Lord’s. Bishan Singh Bedi represented cricket from 1966 to 1979 and was part of India’s popular spin-quartet.
Bishan Singh played 67 Tests for the Indian team and took 266 wickets at an average of 28.71. He played his last Test against England in 1979. He finished with three wickets in that match.
2. Kapil Dev | 17 Wickets
The veteran cricketer, Kapil Dev doesn’t need any introduction. The World Cup-winning Indian skipper is counted amongst the greatest all-rounders in the history of the game. He was the country’s lead fast bowler during the late 90s.
Kapil Dev was successful not only in the sub-continent but also in SENA countries. He has an exceptional record at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
In just 4 Tests, Kapil Dev managed to claim 17 wickets and thus is the joint highest Indian wicket-taker at Lord’s. Overall, Kapil has 434 wickets in 131 Tests to his name, including 23 five-wicket hauls.
3. Ishant Sharma | 17 Wickets
At number three is Ishant Sharma, who is also the joint highest Indian wicket-taker at Lord’s. The 36-year old seamer has a pretty good record at Lord’s. He has 17 wickets to his name at Lord's. He had a memorable 7/74 at Lord's in 2014 which helped India to win a Test match at Lords' cricket ground for the first time since 1986.
Ishant Sharma played 105 Tests for the Indian team and took 311 wickets at an average of 32.40, including 11 five-wicket hauls.
4. Anil Kumble | 12 Wickets
India’s greatest spinner in the history of the game, Anil Kumble has the fourth most number of Test wickets by any Indian bowler at Lord’s. Given the fact that the spinners don’t usually get a lot of assistance from the English surfaces and still getting the fourth-most number of wickets is itself a big feat.
Anil Kumble has 12 wickets at Lord’s Cricket Ground. In his Test Cricket career, he has picked 619 wickets in 132 Tests, including 8 ten-wicket hauls. He is currently the highest wicket-taker for the national team in Test cricket.
5. Zaheer Khan | 11 Wickets
Hailed as arguably the best left-arm seamers that the nation has ever produced, Zaheer Khan has a great record to his name at Lord’s cricket ground. On swinging conditions in England, the Indian seamer would make batsmen’s life tougher by swinging the ball both ways. Besides, he was a master at reverse swing.
During his career, he played 13 Tests against England and picked 43 wickets at an average of 29.02. Of those 43, 11 wickets came at Lord’s cricket ground. Overall Zaheer Khan played 92 Tests in his international circuit and claimed 311 wickets at an average of 32.95.
ENG vs IND Test at Lord's: Every result from India vs England test at Lord's
The historic battles fought at the 'Home of Cricket' are always special when it comes to ENG vs IND test at Lord's. See how this iconic rivalry unfolded as we bring you every result from India vs England test at Lord's.
The rivalry between England and India in Test cricket at Lord's is not just a series of matches; it's a chapter of cricketing history. From India's first Test match at Lord's in 1932 to their more recent historic victories, each game has contributed a new and evolved Indian side.
While England has historically held the upper hand at Lord's, the battles have been extremely thrilling and hard-fought. Get ready to delve into every result from India vs England test at Lord's.
ENG vs IND Test at Lord's: Who holds the edge?
Ben Stokes and Shubman Gill shaking hands at the beginning of 5-test series in June 2025. Image | Rediff
India has played 19 test matches against England at the iconic Lord's, spanning from 1932 to 2021.
India celebrates the fall of last wicket in the 2021 Lord's test. Image | BBC
Let's take a look at the detailed summary of the games played by different eras of both teams.
1932-1967: England dominated the early stages
The Indian team, led by C.K. Nayudu, faced a loss by 158 runs in their first match at Lord's against England. The English captain, Douglas Jardine, played a key role in securing this one, along with good team efforts.
Following the 1932 defeat, India lost 5 consecutive matches in the years: 1936, 1946, 1952, 1952, 1959, and 1957. They lacked consistency as a team and were unable to make things right again.
On the other hand, England dominantly made their mark at the iconic venue, winning matches by huge margins.
After being defeated multiple times, and England acquiring the undefeatable title, India finally saw a ray of hope in 1971. This was the first time a match was drawn in the 39 years of defeats faced by India at Lord's.
Ajit Wadekar was captaining the Indian side during the tour, and he was also the highest-scoring batsman in the first innings. Bowlers like Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Bishan Singh Bedi, and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar brilliantly tackled the English line-up to secure this much-needed draw.
1974-1982: India's struggle to get a hold of momentum
After the draw in 1971, England shattered all the hopes of Indian fans with a huge victory in 1974. Batting first, ENG set a massive total of 629 runs, with the help of 3 centurions and 96 runs from John Edrich.
They bowled out India for 302 and 42 in the first and second innings (respectively) and sealed the win by an innings and 258 runs.
The year 1979 saw another draw between both teams. India's star player, Dilip Vengsarkar, smashed a century which saved India from the face of another defeat and also earned him the POTM title.
However, England kept coming back stronger after the drawn matches. Despite great efforts from Kapil Dev, who scored 41 & 89 runs in the match, and picked 8 wickets overall, India could not save the match in 1982.
1986: India's first historic win against England at Lord's
Fans rushing to congratulate Vengsarkar on his century. Image | Hindustan Times
India finally broke off their streak of defeat against England at Lord's in 1986, with their 5-wicket victory. Under the captaincy of Kapil Dev, India showcased a passionate gameplay and their desire to win. It was the first time in decades that they seemed to play as a team with extraordinary efforts.
A hundred from Vengsarkar, a half-century from Mohinder Amarnath, along wicket-taking spells of Chetan Sharma and the skipper were some vital performances that made a huge difference in the end.
1990-2011: England gains the upper hand once again
Between 1990 and 2011, England consistently avoided defeat against India. In the 5 matches played during this period, they secured 3 wins and 2 draws, ensuring India did not record a single victory.
2014: India shines for the second time
Ishant Sharma during his match-winning 7-wicket haul for India in 2014 Lord's test. Image | X
In 2014, India achieved a 95-run victory over England at Lord's, marking their second win in the history of test rivalry against England at this venue. Led by MS Dhoni, the modern Indian side put up a compelling fight against the English giants.
Key performances included Ajinkya Rahane's 103 in the first innings (India 295, England 319), Murali Vijay's 95 in India's second innings (India 342), and Ishant Sharma's match-winning 7/74 that bowled England out for 223, clinching the win.
England celebrates their victory over India in 2018. Image | Facebook
The 2018 Lord's test between India and England was a one-sided affair. After the rain-affected first day, India collapsed for just 107 in their first innings, largely due to James Anderson's 5/20.
England then posted a commanding 396/7 declared, with Chris Woakes scoring an unbeaten 137. In their second innings, Anderson continued his wicket-taking spells, picking up another 4. As a result, the struggling Indian side was bowled out for 130.
England secured a decisive victory by an innings and 159 runs.
2021: India's heroic comeback
Siraj celebrating a wicket that helped India conquer Lord's. Image | Cricfit
The 2021 Lord's Test marked a historic triumph for India, under the phenomenal leadership of Virat Kohli. Hispassion and consistently backing his team up proved to be vital in turning the tide of a match that seemed to be slipping away.
The match was a rollercoaster of emotions. India's first innings saw a brilliant partnership between Rohit Sharma (scored 83 runs) and KL Rahul (scored 129 runs) that helped them reach a total of 364 runs.
After England took a first-innings lead of 27 runs, India soared higher in the second innings, declaring at 298/8. The final day witnessed an extraordinary display of Indian fast bowling.
After a fiery spell from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, it was Mohammed Siraj, whose precise line and length ripped through England's batting line-up.
England were bowled out for just 120, handing India a memorable 151-run victory. With this victory, Kohli became the third Indian captain to achieve a Test win against England at Lord's, following the footsteps of Kapil Dev (1986) and MS Dhoni (2014).
India's thumping 336-run victory over England at Edgbaston has breathed fresh life into the five-Test series, now locked at 1-1. The third Test of the ongoing five-match series between India and England is scheduled to take place at Lord’s from July 10 to 14.
Before the start of the third test, let's have a look at the Best test bowling figure in an inning by any Indian bowler at Lord's.
Best test bowling figure in an inning by any Indian bowler at Lord's
1. Ishant Sharma | 7/74
Ishant Sharma put in one of the best exhibitions of short-ball bowling by an India fast bowler in the fourth innings of the Lord's Test in 2014. The lanky right-armer ran through England with figures of 7 for 74 to help the visitors record a famous win.
Ishant Sharma was India's hero at Lord's with a seven-wicket haul in the second innings. He cleaned up Ian Bell before inducing an outside edge from Alastair Cook’s blade with a beautiful outswinger. Sharma's brilliant spell turned the tables and India picked up a famous victory by 95 runs.
2. Amar Singh | 6/35
In the summer of 1936, the late Amar Singh registered his name on the iconic Lord’s Honours Board with a brilliant spell of 6 for 35, the second-best bowling figures by an India bowler in Tests on English soil.
After India were bundled out for 147 in their first innings, Amar Singh exploited the conditions as he ran through the English batting line-up.
The home team was bowled out for just 134, giving India an upper hand. His victims included Arthur Mitchell, Harold Gimblett, Maurice Turnbull, Maurice Leyland, Bob Wyatt, and skipper Gubby Allen. Though India couldn’t capitalize on this momentum and eventually lost the match, Singh’s performance is still one of the best on English soil.
3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 6/82
The 2014 Lord's Test remains one of India's most special wins in SENA countries, and they have much to thank veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the triumph. After the first of the five Tests ended in a draw, India and England moved to the home of cricket for the all-important second Test.
On a green wicket, Team India huffed and puffed their way to a respectable 295 in their first innings. With the game hanging on a knife-edge, Bhuvi rattled the English top order by picking up the first three wickets in no time and reducing them to 70/3 in the 32nd over.
He returned to pick up his final three wickets later in the innings, including England's top-scorer, Gary Ballance, for 110, as India restricted England's first-innings lead to just 24. Bhuvneshwar finished with outstanding figures of 6/82 in 31 overs.
4. Bishan Bedi | 6/226
Legendary spinner Bishan Singh Bedi took 6/226 at the Lord's in 1974, getting his name etched on the Lord’s honors board.
On a tough pitch for bowlers, England opened the batting and quickly made a mark on the match with Dennis Amiss' century helping to post a score of 337-2 before Bedi even claimed his first wicket. His dismissal of John Edrich (96) and then Keith Fletcher gave India hope of trying to restrict England below 400. However, those hopes were quickly dashed when Mike Denness and Tony Greig both made centuries with England eventually talling a mammoth score of 629 all out.
Bedi was the only bowler of note to cause England any sort of trouble. In addition to his wickets of Edrich and Fletcher, Bedi also removed Denness, Alan Knott, Geoff Arnold and Derek Underwood to earn a spot on the Honours Boards. Bedi wouldn't have the opportunity to bowl again in the match, with England comfortably winning the Test by an innings and 285 runs.
5. RP Singh | 5/59
After picking up two wickets in the first innings, former left-arm pacer RP Singh produced an incredible five-wicket haul to prevent England from running away with the game in the second.
An incredible three-wicket spell from him saw England, who led by 97 after the first innings, slip from 102/2 to 132/5 in no time. Singh removed skipper Michael Vaughan, followed by Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood in a six-over stretch to bring India back into the contest.
However, Kevin Pietersen's scintillating 134 took the hosts to safety before Singh returned to remove him and Monty Panesar to complete his five-wicket haul. Nevertheless, his 5/59 in the second innings slowed England's innings enough for India to save the game on the final day.
There is a saying in cricket, "When life gives you a Greg Chappel, be a Sourav Ganguly". Well, that's a bit controversial line to start an article about Sourav Ganguly records.
But that was the life and career of Sourav Ganguly, who rose against every odd and came back like a "Maharaj" (King, people from Kolkata call him that) every time he was pushed down.
Now, the former India captain, who turned 53 today, made some significant moves on and off the field which changed Indian Cricket forever.
To mark his birth anniversary, we present to you a list of Sourav Ganguly's records that he achieved throughout his career.
Sourav Ganguly made his test debut in 1996 against England at Lords' Cricket Ground. At that time his selection was questioned. The pundits called him the "East-Zone quota". But a typical Sourav Ganguly made sure all the questions were answered with the bat in hand.
Not to forget his mild-paced bowling. Let's take a look at Sourav Ganguly's records in tests.
62nd batsman in test cricket history to score a 100 on test debut.
6th test batsman to score centuries in the first two tests in his career.
Highest Test score by a left-handed Indian batsman (239).
Only test player to score a test century on debut and then score a zero in the last test innings.
Only player to average more than 40 throughout his test career and play more than 100 test matches.
Though Ganguly was India's one of the best in the longest format, it was the white ball that he dominated more than anyone. Even more than Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting.
Sourav Ganguly scored more white-ball runs than any other player during his time. Here are some of Sourav Ganguly's records in ODIs-
He was the fastest man to reach 6000, 7000, 8000, and 9000 ODI runs while playing.
Ganguly is the only cricketer to win four consecutive Man of the Match awards in One Day Internationals.
Highest individual score by any batsman in an ICC Champions Trophy final (117).
Sourav Ganguly was also the first player to hit 3 centuries in the history of the ICC Champions Trophy.
Highest individual score in the ICC World Cup by any Indian player (183).
He is also the third fastest to score 10000 ODI runs (263 ing).
Most ODI runs by any left-handed Indian player (11363)
Second most ODI runs in a single calendar year (1767 runs in 1999).
The second-most ODI hundreds in a single calendar year (7 ODI tons in 2000).
One of the five cricketers to have achieved the unique treble. Ganguly has scored more than 10,000 runs, and taken more than 100 wickets & 100 catches in ODI cricket.
Third-highest run-scorer in ODI cricket among Indians and ninth overall.
Sourav Ganguly also has the record of scoring the second-most tons by an Indian batsman in a single World Cup. ( 3 centuries in 2003)
He took over the captaincy post during a tough time of the "Azhar Saga". But as Kapil Dev said, that was the moment Indian cricket's future was made. Here are some of the records Sourav Ganguly made as a captain-
Till retirement, Sourav Ganguly had the most successful India captain in away tests (11 wins). Virat Kohli later went past him.
Third most successful ODI captain among Indians (76 wins )
Ganguly is the only Indian skipper to win a Test series in Pakistan.
He took the captaincy when India was ranked 8 in Test rankings, and left India second-ranked in Test cricket, still a record for the biggest jump.
"Giving that Indian team a lot of steel, self-belief, character. Forget about winning at home. I think all sides are comfortable winning at home. But it's about going outside in Test conditions that you are not familiar with against the best in the world and having that fire, hunger and belief to win. And I think that's where Dada made the biggest difference to Indian cricket."