Joe Root's patient unbeaten 99 led England to 251-4 on an attritional and compelling first day of the third test against India at Lord's on Thursday.

This was an old-school day that the Little Master would surely have luxuriated in during his playing days, a good – if slightly slow – surface providing enough to encourage batter and bowler and England eschewing some of their extravagant electronica to harmonise with India on a gentler,