Bhuvneshwar helps India halt England at 319 (Lunch report)

London, July 19 (IANS) An inspiring bowling performance from Bhuvneshwar Kumar led India to bowl out England for 319 and then bat at 11 for no loss in their second innings at lunch on Day 3 of the second Test at Lord's here Saturday.

Resuming the day at 219/6, the hosts put on 100 runs in 19.5 overs but lost their last four wickets in the morning session to go ahead of India's first innings total of 295. India were 11/0 in the second innings with Murali Vijay (0 not out) and Shikhar Dhawan (10 not out) at the crease when lunch was called.

Overnight batsman Liam Plunkett (55 not out) and wicketkeeper Matt Prior (23) successfully denied the Indian seamers any success in the first hour of the morning. However, Shami was finally successful in breaking the 51-run partnership when Prior top edged the ball and a backward running Shikhar Dhawan brilliantly caught the ball.

Bhuvneshwar (6/82) then scalped two wickets in three deliveries to bring up his best bowling figures in Tests, surpassing his previous best and first five-wicket haul which he achieved in the last Test on a dead Trent Bridge pitch, which the ICC has rated as 'poor'.

Plunkett and James Anderson (19) made sure that the hosts took the lead with their 39-run last-wicket partnership before the latter gloved it to Ajinkya Rahane in the slips.

Uttar Pradesh's Bhuvneshwar became only the third Indian to pick up six wickets at the 'home of cricket' after Ladha Amar Singh (1936) and Bishan Singh Bedi (1974). After clinching first five, the Meerut-born also entered his name into Lord's honours board.

Bhuvneshwar has been the best bowler of the five-match series so far with 11 wickets, two more than all other Indian bowlers combined.