Gus Atkinson scored his maiden Test hundred against Sri Lanka at Lords

On day 2 of the 2nd Test match between England and Sri Lanka, the home team appeared to be on the backfoot in the opening session, facing two back-to-back blows from the Sri Lankan bowlers. However, the home team made a tremendous comeback by surpassing the score of 400 runs in the first session of day 2, thanks to England star batter Joe Root and tailender Gus Atkinson, who helped the home team set a competitive target in the first innings with their brilliant centuries.

After a brilliant display by Joe Root, England finished day 1 with a score of 358 runs, with Root scoring 143 runs. England then faced two quick setbacks with the wickets of the last match's player of the match, Jamie Smith, and all-rounder Chris Woakes, who scored 21 and 6 runs respectively. Under these difficult circumstances, Joe Root stood firm like a pillar and formed a 93-run partnership with Atkinson, taking the England team forward almost single-handedly. 

Seeing Root's class at the iconic Lord's Cricket Stadium, Gus Atkinson also showcased his prowess by counter-attacking the Sri Lankan bowlers with aggressive batting. Root's innings ended on 143 runs when he was dismissed by Rathnayake. 

However, Atkinson continued to take the home team forward by scoring runs. He made a crucial 92-run partnership with Mathew Motts, taking his team to a score of 393 for the loss of 8 wickets. In doing so, Gus Atkinson scored his maiden Test hundred in 103 balls before getting out for 118 runs, hitting 14 boundaries and 4 sixes all over the ground with a strike rate of 102.

England's innings ended at a score of 427 runs after 102 overs. Asitha Fernando was the leading wicket-taker for Sri Lanka, with 5 wickets in 24 overs and an economy rate of 4.5. Lahiru Kumara and Milan Rathnayake took 2 wickets each, along with 1 wicket from Prabath Jayasuriya.