Root unbeaten on 99 as England score slowly but steadily against India at Lord's

LONDON (AP) — One of India's greatest adversaries showed up at Lord's and gave England the edge on the first day of the third test on Thursday.

As England's best batter, Joe Root has had a middling impact on the tied test series so far. But grafting for more than five hours on a roasting pitch earned him an unbeaten 99 that was easily beaconed in a total of 251-4 at stumps.

Root fought for almost the entire first day to vindicate captain Ben Stokes' decision to bat first. Stokes was with him at stumps, on 39, but struggling with a groin or adductor issue that may affect whether he bowls. He had a chance in the last over to run a second single to give Root his century but declined.

Root's grit typified an approach by England that was more caution than aggression, unconventional in the team's three years under coach Brendon McCullum and Stokes, the so-called “Bazball” era.

“Slightly different to the way we usually put together an innings but we'll take it,” batter Ollie Pope told the BBC. “We want to be a team that is positive and entertaining but we want to play to the situation. Our order is pretty fast scoring on our good days, we all know we can score hundreds off 120 balls, but we need to dig in off this sort of surface.”

Despite hardly a cloud in the sky over Lord's, usually a template for a great batting day, England displayed its slowest scoring in the first session of a test, and reached 100 at its second slowest pace under Bazball. The run rate dropped to 2.75 in the afternoon.

India's fearsome pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj squeezed the scoring, India's fielding was tight, and the green-tinged pitch became sluggish enough for spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar to bowl 20 of the day's 83 overs and take one wicket.

Root was slow but steadfast without offering India a single chance.

In the process, he became the first batter to hit 3,000 test runs against India. He reached his 23rd half-century in 33 tests against India — he's averaging 58 — and was one run away from his 11th test hundred against India, which would tie Steve Smith's record.

His only previous half-century in the series held together the successful last-day run chase in the Leeds opener when England was four down and still 118 runs behind.

This time, he fought for almost the entire day to glue England's first innings in two big partnerships of 109 with Pope and an unbeaten 79 with Stokes. Root has set the platform for England to rack a big total on Friday while India will be pleased it has not been “Bazballed.”

“Joe Root has inspired everyone in the changing room and in this country,” Pope said. “Fingers crossed he can make it a massive one tomorrow.”

England was more “Bazbore” for a long time in the afternoon as Root and Pope grinded out a sleepy wicketless session including 28 straight dot balls.

There also was a lengthy delay to treat India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant's index finger, which was damaged while half-stopping leg byes. He didn't return for the last half of the day.

Pant's replacement, Dhruv Jurel, excelled, however.

After Root and Pope scored only 70 runs in 24 overs in the middle session, the tea interval broke Pope's focus. In the first ball after tea, Pope went after Jadeja and Jurel produced a brilliant reflex catch at the stumps. Pope left for 44 off 104 balls.

Harry Brook was then castled on 11 by Bumrah, who grabbed his first wicket in 35 overs stretching back to the Leeds test. He was rested at Edgbaston.

Stokes joined Root and was playing fluidly until he called for the England medic. He has 39 off 102 balls. Root has 99 off 191, including nine boundaries.

Root came into the game just after the first drinks break in the morning.

Opening batters Ben Duckett and Zac Crawley wobbled during the first hour, when the pitch was at its most wicked. But they survived even Bumrah, who found more movement off the pitch than anyone else in the series so far, and got a breather at the drinks break. And then they were gone.

The unassuming Nitish Kumar Reddy came into the series only in the second test for his batting, and bowled six expensive overs at Edgbaston. On Thursday, he changed in for Bumrah and his medium pace lulled Duckett, Crawley and Pope into errors in the same over.

Duckett pulled, Crawley drove, and both edged behind. Pope edged to gully but India captain Shubman Gill couldn't pull off a stunning one-handed catch.

England was 44-2 but Pope and Root came together and led England safely to lunch and tea.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

England's captain Ben Stokes rests on the ground after an injury during the third cricket test match between England and India at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Pelham)

England's Joe Root plays a shot during the third cricket test match between England and India at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Pelham)

India's Jasprit Bumrah bowls a delivery during the third cricket test match between England and India at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Pelham)

England's Ollie Pope plays a shot during the third cricket test match between England and India at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Pelham)

England's Joe Root celebrates after scoring fifty runs during the third cricket test match between England and India at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Pelham)

India's Jasprit Bumrah reacts as England's Ollie Pope, middle, and England's Joe Root run between the wickets to score during the third cricket test match between England and India at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Pelham)

Indian players celebrate the dismissal of England's Ben Duckett during the third cricket test match between England and India at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Pelham)

India's Nitish Kumar Reddy celebrates the dismissal of England's Ben Duckett during the third cricket test match between England and India at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Pelham)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Auckland was the first major city to ring in 2026 with a fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, followed by a defiant celebration in Australia in the aftermath of its worst mass shooting.

South Pacific countries were the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks stuck midnight in Auckland 18 hours before the famous ball drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks.

Australia’s east coast welcomed 2026 two hours after New Zealand. In Sydney, the country's largest city, celebrations were held under the pall of Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years. Two gunmen targeted a Hannukah celebration at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, killing 15 and wounding 40.

A heavy police presence monitored the thousands who thronged to the waterfront to watch a fireworks show centered on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Many officers openly carried rapid-fire rifles, a first for the annual event.

An hour before midnight, the massacre victims were commemorated with a minute of silence while images of a menorah were projected on the bridge pylons. The crowd was invited to show solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns urged Sydney residents not to stay away through fear, saying extremists would interpret smaller crowds at New Year’s Eve festivities as a victory.

“We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime and say that we’re not going to be cowered by this kind of terrorism,” he said.

In Indonesia, one of Australia’s nearest neighbors, cities scaled back festivities as a gesture of solidarity with communities devastated by floods and landslides that struck parts of Sumatra island a month ago, claiming more than 1,100 lives.

The capital, Jakarta, was not ringing in 2026 with its usual fanfare, choosing subdued celebrations with a program centered on prayers for victims, city Gov. Pramono Anung said last week.

Makassar Mayor Munafri Arifuddin urged residents of one of Indonesia’s largest cities to forgo parties, calling for prayer and reflection. "Empathy and restraint are more meaningful than fireworks and crowds,” he said.

Concerts and fireworks on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali were canceled and replaced with a cultural arts event featuring traditional dances.

Hong Kong, too, was ringing in 2026 without the usual spectacle in the sky over iconic Victoria Harbor, after a massive fire in November killed at least 161 people.

The facades of eight landmarks were turning into giant countdown clocks presenting a three-minute light show at midnight.

Many parts of Asia welcome the new year by observing age-old traditions.

In Japan, crowds were gathering at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo for a bell striking at midnight. In the South Korean capital, Seoul, a bell tolling and countdown ceremony were being held at the Bosingak Pavilion.

Tourists and Berliners alike marked the end of 2025 by enjoying snowfall, taking selfies and making snowmen in front of the German capital's cathedral and the iconic Brandenburg Gate. The Berlin TV Tower was nearly invisible thanks to the falling flakes and fog.

Greece and Cyprus were ringing in 2026 by turning down the volume, replacing traditional fireworks with low-noise pyrotechnics, light shows and drone displays in capital cities. Low-noise fireworks avoid the explosive bursts that generate the loud cracks of traditional displays.

Officials in the countries said the change is intended to make celebrations more welcoming for children and pets, particularly animals sensitive to loud noise.

Police in New York City will have additional anti-terrorism measures at the Times Square ball drop, with “mobile screening teams” in search of suspicious activity. It is not in response to a specific threat, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

After the ball drops in Times Square, it will rise once again, sparking in red, white and blue, to mark the country’s upcoming 250th birthday celebration. It will be one of several patriotic flourishes throughout the night, organizers said.

Zohran Mamdani will take office as mayor at the start of 2026. Two swearing-in ceremonies are planned, starting with a private ceremonial event around midnight in an old subway station.

Saaliq reported from New Delhi, India. Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.

The police stand guard during the 2026 Taipei New Year's Party celebration in front of the Taipei City Government Building in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

People gather to celebrate the New Year at the Zojoji Buddhist temple, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A Buddhist prays in front of lanterns on New Year's Eve at the Jogye temple in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the New Year celebrations in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Swimmers enter the water during the traditional Sylvester swim at lake Moossee in Moosseedorf, Switzerland, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP)

A child poses for a photo with a prosperity decoration to welcome 2026 Year of the Horse, following the Chinese zodiac at a shopping district on new year's eve, in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

A person walks by illuminated decorations on New Year's Eve in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge as New Year's celebrations begin in Sydney, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge as New Year's celebrations begin in Sydney, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Ryan Seacrest and Rita Ora, hosts of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026," in New York at the New Year's Eve Times Square Ball on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

A vendor sells New Year's eve party goods at a market in downtown Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

A families pose for a photo with a prosperity decoration to welcome 2026 Year of the Horse, following the Chinese zodiac as people visit a shopping district on new year's eve, in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

A child poses for a photo with a prosperity decoration to welcome 2026 Year of the Horse, following the Chinese zodiac at a shopping district on new year's eve, in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)