The Shubman Gill era has well and truly dawned. India, minus their pace lynchpin Jasprit Bumrah, scripted their most resounding overseas victory, handing England a crushing defeat by 336 runs — the heaviest of their much-vaunted Bazball era. Shubman Gill’s record-shattering 269 and 161, Mohammed Siraj’s incisive six-wicket haul in the first innings, and Akash Deep’s sensational 10-wicket match haul lit up one of India’s finest all-round performances away from home.
It was Akash’s fiery six-wicket burst that sealed the deal, bundling England out for a meek 271 in pursuit of a Himalayan 608 on Day 5. The win was India’s first-ever Test triumph in Birmingham, breaking a winless streak of nine matches at the venue. And it came under the leadership of a captain who did more than just talk— Shubman Gill led from the front with a bat that blazed and a presence that commanded.
While Gill cashed in on one of the flattest pitches England has served up, Siraj and Akash Deep rose to the occasion in Bumrah’s absence, outbowling England’s own attack on home turf.
“England can chase anything in the fourth innings”—that had become the Bazball gospel after the Ben Stokes-led side mowed down 371 at Headingley. Birmingham, too, held haunting memories for India, the site of England’s record 378-run chase in 2022 that announced the birth of Bazball. And with Bumrah rested for workload management, the odds seemed stacked once again.
But this young Indian side, under Gill, played with the poise of seasoned warriors and the audacity of a London crime syndicate. Banishing the ghosts of Leeds, they produced a clinical, ruthless display across all three departments, levelling the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 1-1 after two gripping Tests.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : Birmingham has basked in sunshine in the lead-up, but the pitch tells a layered story. There was 11mm of grass two days out, yet the surface underneath is dry. Expect big first-innings runs – just like at Headingley and in most recent County game here earlier this month.
Spin hasn’t thrived here in the Bazball era (second-lowest strike rate), but off-spinners in general have bucked that trend: Nathan Lyon and Moeen Ali made an impact in the 2023 Ashes opener, and R Ashwin starred here in 2018. There’s some light rain in the forecast on Days 1, 4 and 5, but nothing too disruptive.
Toss : England skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bowl with no changes in the Playing XI. India skipper Shubman Gill batting first made three changes to the Playing XI bringing in Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Akash Deep for Sai Sudharsan, Shardul Thakur and Jasprit Bumrah.
Day 1 : Shubman Gill ton, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 87 headline India’s productive opening day
A fine century under pressure from skipper Shubman Gill, aided by a solid 87 from Yashasvi Jaiswal, helped India consolidate to 310/5 on Day 1 of the second Test at Edgbaston on Wednesday (July 2).
In overcast conditions at toss, unchanged England had no hesitation in opting to bowl whereas India made three changes and some key position swaps in their XI from Leeds in their quest for greater batting depth that was tested on the opening day itself. Shubman Gill, however, led from the front with a responsible knock of 114 not out, putting on a vital unbroken partnership of 99 with Ravindra Jadeja (41*) to arrest a mini-slide in the evening and go to stumps without further damage.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s bright knock laid the platform in a morning session of two halves after India lost KL Rahul early. England’s new-ball bowlers, especially Chris Woakes, got the ball to nip and there was some extra bounce early in the session but the hosts had only one wicket to show for it. In the middle of a probing, and frugal, spell, Woakes found himself at the receiving end of two turned-down LBW appeals and both were referred upstairs only for the batters to survive on umpire’s call.
First was Jaiswal who got forward to defend a good length delivery that nipped in, but the ball tracking found it to be barely clipping the top of the stumps. Soon after, off a similar delivery, Woakes was convinced after hitting Karun Nair on the back pad as the batter offered no shot. But the bowler was left fuming once again to not have the on-field call in his favour when the ball-tracking reprieved the batter by the slimmest of margins.
In between those two close calls, Woakes did earn his reward for disciplined bowling and thoroughly testing KL Rahul on both edges. The Indian opener, tentative throughout his stay in the middle, eventually chopped one back onto his stumps to fall for just two.
Once Woakes had gone off, India’s second-wicket pair found frequent ways to release the built-up pressure with their partnership of 80. Nair quickly moved on from his LBW call with the help of a few half-volleys dished out to him by Josh Tongue that he happily drove through the covers. That sublime touch rubbed off on Jaiswal too at the other end as the opener grew in confidence in the second hour and cashed in on the wayward bowling by the pacer to put on display an array of drives.
England quickly resorted to the short-ball ploy, and Jaiswal took on Tongue with hooks and pulls to fetch three boundaries on the trot in an over, completing his 11th Test half-century with the second of those. Nair, however, wasn’t lucky enough to survive it. Six minutes before Lunch, Brydon Carse got one to jump at him and take him by surprise. As India’s new No. 3 Nair put his bat up to fend it, he sent a dolly to second slip where Harry Brook made no mistake.
Shubman Gill joined hands with a well-set Yashasvi Jaiswal to consolidate, and they did well to keep the English attack at bay for over an hour on the other side of Lunch. The bowlers’ discipline and a spread-out field did cut down on the number of boundaries though for India. The hosts brought back Woakes and Carse in tandem once again, and even though the scoring rate remained low, the conditions had eased out for batting. While Shubman Gill remained cautious, Jaiswal didn’t spare any occasional wayward freebies England dished out.
The Carse vs Gill battle heated up when the Indian captain pulled out ahead of a delivery mid-over, and culminated into a passionate LBW call that the hosts took upstairs, only to realise the inside edge had saved the batter. In the following over, Woakes decided against referring an appeal and rightly so, for there was a faint inside edge once more to Shubman Gill’s rescue.
Still wicketless after an hour’s toil in the mid session, Stokes reintroduced himself into the attack and got England the breakthrough they’d grown desperate for. Completely against the run of play, Jaiswal slashed at a short and wide delivery and ended up bottom-edging it behind to miss out on what would have been a well-deserved fourth Test hundred against England.
Rishabh Pant, quite characteristically, went after the spinner Shoaib Bashir for a six over long-on when the opportunity presented itself just before Tea, but had otherwise remained mindful of the opposition as he took India to Tea at 182/3 alongside his captain.
But, it was this very tendency to take on the spinners that paved the way for a breakthrough for England in the final session. Bashir flighted one generously to bait Pant, who bit it and holed out to long-on where Zak Crawley took a well-judged catch to his right. In the next over, India lost Nitish Reddy who they promoted ahead of the experienced Jadeja. The allrounder, coming into the XI for Shardul Thakur, left a delivery from Woakes that jagged back in to disturb his off-stump.
Shubman Gill, who had earlier completed his half-century by tonking Bashir straight over his head, continued to remain solid amidst the fall of wickets around him. He found an able ally in Jadeja as the two dug in to pull India out of a hole that was the mini-collapse to kick off the session. Shubman Gill marched to his hundred – his second in as many Tests since taking over captaincy full-time – with the second of the back-to-back fours off part-timer Joe Root, and let out a loud roar in celebration.
Capping off a successful-yet-frustrating day for Woakes was a lucky reprieve for Jadeja, who saw a thick outside-edge evade both the second slip and the gully to run into the ropes. The second new ball did challenge the two batters, but also brought scoring opportunities for the well-settled duo who took India past the 300-run mark comfortably before stumps were drawn on an absorbing day of Test cricket.
Day 2 : Skipper Shubman Gill’s 269 leads the way for dominant India
Records were rewritten by the minute at Edgbaston on Thursday as Shubman Gill etched his name in history books with a phenomenal knock of 269 on Day 2 of the second Test against England. After finishing with 587 in their first innings, the visitors tightened their grip on the game with an exceptional new-ball spell from their pacers. On a good batting surface, England were rattled early to 25/3 inside eight overs before making a solid recovery to go to stumps at 77/3, still trailing India by 510 runs.
The day belonged to India and their skipper Shubman Gill, who batted for over two sessions on his way to becoming the highest scorer for the country on English shores. Shubman Gill forged two crucial partnerships – worth 203 with Ravindra Jadeja (89) and a 144-run stand with Washington Sundar (42) – to take India close to the 600-run mark, absorbing the pressure of the scrutiny around his team selection and batting re-jig.
The first milestone of the day was Shubman Gill’s maiden 150 in the format that made him only the second Indian skipper to do so in England since Mohammad Azharuddin’s 179 at Old Trafford in 1990. Continuing from where he’d left off on Day 1, the skipper was at the forefront of the team’s brisk start to the day that saw 55 runs added in 13 overs before drinks. With the wicket offering nothing to the bowlers, England looked listless and desperate for a breakthrough as the sixth-wicket pair carried on largely untroubled.
Spinner Shoaib Bashir came under the attack from the well-set pair with Jadeja first lofting one down the ground for a six that raised India’s 400 followed by a slog-sweep behind square from Gill for maximum that brought up the 200 of their partnership.
Josh Tongue, at the other end, resorted to the short-ball ploy that had worked well for England the previous evening, and prised out the much-needed breakthrough for his side. A bumper from round the wicket had Jadeja beaten for pace and bounce, and he gloved it to the keeper while trying to fend. He fell just 11 short of a deserving hundred, having played his part in keeping England at bay for nearly all of the morning session which resulted in 109 runs for India at 4.36.
The post-Lunch session was the most productive one of the day for India with 145 added in 31 overs, and saw Shubman Gill claim several milestones. Leading from the front in the 144-run stand with Washington, Shubman Gill seemed unflappable as he made the English attack sweat and fret on the flat wicket.
Washington did face some early music early on in his innings, before Lunch, but overcame that with a brief counterattack when England deployed the short-ball tactic against the left-hander. After taking out Ravindra Jadeja with a bouncer in the morning session, Tongue used more of it to unsettle the allrounder. He awkwardly fended one off his body, that evaded a dive from Bashir at fine-leg to run into the fence, and immediately after dismissively pulled one high into the stands in the same region.
Tongue persisted with more short stuff and, at the start of his next over, Shubman Gill pulled one behind square for a single that made him only the third Indian to notch up a double ton in England while also becoming the second youngest India captain to do so roughly two months short of his 26th birthday.
He continued to score freely off Bashir, forcing England’s hand to make a bowling change but Harry Brook was welcomed into the attack with equal disdain – a hattrick of boundaries that included a cut and two perfectly-timed straight drives by the Indian skipper.Shubman Gill took India past 500 just after the hourly drinks break, making it the sixth instance of a visiting team breaching the mark in an Edgbaston Test and first since South Africa in 2003, before also raising the hundred of his partnership with Washington.
Bashir returned into the attack and so did Shubman Gill’s attacking ways as he skipped down the track to loft him down the ground for a maximum before forcing part-timer Brook off the attack with an 11-run over where he added two more boundaries to his tally. With the second of those fours, Shubman Gill became only the sixth Indian batter to make a 250 in Tests.
Desperate to break the partnership, Stokes threw the ball to Root with Tea around the corner and the former captain did not disappoint. After a vital hand of 42, Washington saw his middle-stump knocked back by the part-time spinner.
Shubman Gill went to Tea at 265 not out, well poised to become the third Indian with a triple, but a tame dismissal soon after the break brought curtains on his captain’s knock. For England, and Tongue, it was the short ball again that did the trick as Shubman Gill pulled it straight to square-leg to walk back for 269 – country’s seventh-best individual effort in Tests and the highest ever by an Indian captain.Akash Deep holed out in the following over, and the last-wicket pair could add only 13 more to take India’s first innings total to 587.
Filling the big shoes of Jasprit Bumrah, Akash had a forgettable first over to begin with, leaking 12 runs with two boundaries and a no-ball. Nonetheless, he overcame that with a double wicket maiden next up. Shubman Gill’s day only got better when he pulled off a stunner to his left at third slip to send the PoTM of England’s Headingley win, Ben Duckett, back for a duck, and Ollie Pope sent a leading edge KL Rahul’s way at second slip, trying to flick first ball.
The home side had barely made a recovery when Mohd. Siraj lent another blow. Zak Crawley unnecessarily poked a delivery shaping away from him, and ended up edging it to first slip to fall for 19.
With 12.5 overs left in the day, England found themselves under more pressure than ever but Joe Root was joined by Brook to see them off to stumps without much further trouble. That said, the hosts still find themselves in a precarious position with another 310 needed to make India bat again.
Day 3 : Mohammed Siraj helps India get ahead after mammoth stand by Brook-Smith
Jamie Smith’s career-best 184* and Harry Brook’s 158 in a counterattacking 303-run partnership helped England avoid the follow-on in the second Test at Edgbaston, but a bag full of ducks otherwise and a Mohammad Siraj six-fer ensured India secured a significant lead of 180. To that, the visitors added 64/1 more in the final hour before stumps were drawn on Day 3 in overcast Birmingham.
It was an ominous start for the hosts who found themselves under immense pressure 10 balls into the day as Siraj struck on successive deliveries to prise out two key wickets. First to depart was Root, who tried to flick a leg-side delivery and tickled it to the left of Rishabh Pant behind the stumps. Ben Stokes was then greeted with a mean short ball first up that climbed on him awkwardly and kissed the handle of his bat on his way to the ‘keeper.
Down to 84/5, England looked in serious trouble but the arrival of Smith bought urgency in their scoring. And they were further aided by a lean slip cordon that allowed for easy scoring opportunities. The English wicketkeeper sent the hat-trick ball straight down the ground for a four to get going, and thus began a stunning counterpunch that lasted for over two sessions.
India introduced spin from both ends, but Smith welcomed Washington Sundar with back-to-back drives through extra cover to go on to outscore his partner at the other end. He then took on Ravindra Jadeja with a four and six the following over. At the stroke of Lunch, he brought up an 80-ball century with the second of the consecutive fours off Jadeja – sharing the record with his partner at the other end. The early setbacks notwithstanding, the session belonged to the hosts with 172 runs coming off it.
Through Smith and Brook’s record-breaking knocks, England went on to avoid the follow-on in a wicket-less afternoon session that added to India’s frustration. Smith and Brook didn’t move at the same breakneck pace as in the morning, but were effective enough to keep India at bay.
Harry Brook raised his ninth Test hundred – in only 27 Tests – with a cut off Prasidh soon after Lunch before Smith, luckily, was reprieved on 121 when Rishabh Pant grassed a tough chance to his right. Undeterred, the duo reached the 200-run partnership milestone next ball, making it the first instance of an English pair doing so against India for a sixth-wicket stand or lower. Barring that drop, there were barely any chances offered by either of the two set batters.
After slowing down a tad, the boundary count spiked again for Smith once Nitish Reddy came back into the attack. He marched into the 140s with a cover-drive and a pull back-to-back off the medium pacer, and then brought up his maiden Test 150 off 144 deliveries – the fifth fastest for England. The spinners returned from both ends after the changed ball yielded 22 runs in just five overs, and managed to curb the free flow. Nonetheless, the pair brought up the 250-run mark in their partnership by the 70th over.
Right after Tea, India took an LBW appeal upstairs in the very first over of the session when Brook failed in an attempted reverse-sweep. However, the ball-tracking showed the delivery to be missing the stumps and Brook continued to bring up his 150 in 222 deliveries.
India took the new ball as soon as it was made available and it brought the change of fortunes the visitors were hoping for. Once again, it was Akash who got the breakthrough. Just after the sixth-wicket pair reached the 300-run milestone, the pacer got one to nip back in sharply from outside off to beat the inside-edge and crash into Brook’s off-stump.
The collapse was quick from thereon. Chris Woakes was alongside Smith when England avoided the follow-on, but the allrounder didn’t last long. Going for an expansive drive, Woakes instead sent a thick outside-edge to first slip where Karun Nair completed a low catch. Akash finished with figures of 4 for 88.
Siraj cleaned up the tail. He bagged his fourth of the innings on review after being turned down in an LBW appeal against Bryon Carse. But Siraj got the ball to nip back in and pinged the English bowler on the front pad plumb in front as he came forward in defense.
Smith, who had meanwhile claimed the record for the highest Test score by an English batter upon reaching 174, was left to fend with the tail and began to free his arms frequently now. A slot ball from Akash got the treatment it deserved with a maximum over long-on ropes and one ball later, a four to long-off. the counterattack was short-lived though, for Siraj ensured the English ‘keeper run out of partners at the other end.
Josh Tongue asked for a desperate review upon being given LBW, but the ball tracking only backed Siraj. His fourth Test fifer secured, Siraj capped it off with a sixth scalp as he cleaned up Shoaib Bashir. England’s last three all failed to get off the mark and the hosts had a total of six ducks in their first-innings scorecard while the Smith-Brook dup Brook accounted for 342 of the team’s 407.
In the 13 overs India openers had to negotiate under lights, as the weather turned dark suddenly, runs and boundaries flowed rather easily. Yashasvi Jaiswal became the joint-fastest – alongside Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag – to enter the 2000 Test runs club (40 innings) for India upon crossing 10 in the second innings with a lucky edge that flew through gully to the fence.
In the 51-run stand, the Indian openers had hit 11 boundaries between them already forcing England into an early bowling change. And Tongue did the needful when he trapped the left-hander LBW in front but drama ensued when England objected to Jaiswal’s belated DRS appeal. Despite the home team’s reservations, the review was accepted by the umpires only for the ball-tracking to vindicate the on-field call. At the stroke of stumps, Jaiswal was given marching orders after a brisk 22-ball hand worth 28 that included half a dozen boundaries.
India’s lead at the end of Day 3 stood at 244 runs with nine wickets in hand, but the rain forecast on the remaining two days of the game could soil their chances of drawing level in the series.
Day 4 : India’s all-round show puts them on the brink of a famous win
Shubman Gill became the first player to register a 250-plus score and a 150-plus score in the same Test as India set England a mammoth target of 608 to win the second Test at Edgbaston.
A quick-fire 110-run partnership between Rishabh Pant and Gill was followed by a 175-run partnership for the skipper with Ravindra Jadeja as India got to 427 for 6 before declaring their second innings an hour into the third session on Day 4. England suffered early setbacks in the 16-over period before Stumps, with Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj combining to leave them at 72 for 3.
Earlier, on an overcast morning, Brydon Carse emerged as England’s most threatening bowler, troubling India’s batters with sharp bounce and movement. He had KL Rahul edging early on, only for the ball to fly past slip, and struck Karun Nair on the helmet with one that zipped in. Carse eventually broke the second-wicket stand on 45, drawing Nair into a drive and having him caught behind.
India’s batters, however, managed to keep the scoreboard ticking, reaching 100 inside the first hour. England, meanwhile, burned a review for an LBW appeal against Shubman Gill, with replays confirming a clear inside edge. Rahul brought up his fifty before a beauty from Josh Tongue cleaned him up.
Pant then took over with an aggressive knock. He got off the mark in style, helping a short ball from Tongue past fine leg for four, before launching an authoritative six over long-off. Pant also had a lucky break as he was put down at mid-off by Crawley off Ben Stokes and he capitalized, striking a four and an audacious sweep for a six off Tongue.
The southpaw then pulled Shoaib Bashir for two fours in his first over, lost his bat trying to hack a Tongue delivery, was nearly caught off a leading edge, and was nearly bowled by the offspinner. But he rode his luck and continued his attacking approach, a boundary off Bashir extending the lead past 350 before the Lunch break, with India scoring 113 runs off 25 overs in the session.
Pant got going straightaway after Lunch, executing a late cut off Bashir for four. Shubman Gill then took on Tongue, hitting a six over fine-leg followed by two fours as he went past Virat Kohli’s tally (449) of most runs in his debut series as India Test captain. Shubman Gill struck another six over fine leg off Tongue, followed by a flat-batted shot past midwicket for four to bring up a 57-ball fifty.
Pant followed with a 48-ball fifty, reaching the milestone with a single off Tongue before extending the lead past 400 with a six over long-on. The fourth wicket stand crossed 100 when Pant swept Bashir for four, but ended a short while later when the left-hander lost his bat – for the second time in the innings – and was caught at long-off in Bashir’s over.
Shubman Gill then struck a four and a six in the same over to move into the 80s, surpassing Sunil Gavaskar’s record (344 vs West Indies in 1971) for the highest aggregate by an Indian in a Test. Ravindra Jadeja had a watchful start at the other end even as the lead moved past 450 in the second hour of the session. Shubman Gill entered the 90s with some sharp singles and twos before sweeping Joe Root for four.
He ran a risky two before Jadeja finally pierced the off side for a boundary. India reached 300, and shortly after, Shubman Gill brought up his second century of the match – becoming the third Indian captain after Gavaskar and Kohli to score two hundreds in a Test – as India managed 127 runs in the session in 30 overs
Jadeja signalled India’s intent to accelerate right at the start of the final session, lofting a straight six off Bashir. hubman Gill followed up with a six and two fours off Chris Woakes as India went past their highest Test aggregate, surpassing 916 against Australia at the SCG in 2004.
A boundary for Shubman Gill off Bashir raised the century stand, making him one of only five players in Test history to be involved in four 100-plus partnerships in a single Test. Jadeja then struck a four each off Bashir and Root to bring up his second fifty of the match. Gill hit two sixes off Root as the lead crossed 550 and the Indian captain became only the fifth player to aggregate 400 or more runs in a Test.
The fifth-wicket partnership reached 150 when Jadeja hit Root for four, and Shubman Gill soon brought up his 150 with a six in the same over. Gill then hit his eighth six of the innings – off Bashir – before falling to the same bowler. India did not declare after the captain’s dismissal, opting to bat on even after Nitish Reddy was dismissed by Root.
Washington Sundar then hit a six and a four, pushing the lead past 600. The wait for the declaration continued, with India going on to register only the sixth instance of a 1000-plus aggregate in a Test, before finally calling their innings closed.
Having run England ragged on the field for the majority of this Test, India struck early in the fourth innings to leave the hosts in trouble. Zak Crawley was dismissed for a duck by Siraj, driving away from his body to hand a catch to point. India lost a review for a caught behind off Ben Duckett and the left-hander dealt in regular boundaries to get England going. But Duckett’s stay was cut short by Akash Deep as he inside-edged onto the stumps. Ollie Pope got two fours off Akash Deep, but wasn’t in control of the first one as he got a leading edge past gully.
Meanwhile, India continued to be poor with their reviews, losing another when Prasidh Krishna rapped Pope on the pad, with replays revealing it was going down. Pope had a lucky break when an edge off Prasidh did not carry to Pant but Akash Deep made a big dent in the next over, knocking Root over with one that angled in.
Pope nearly chopped on a Prasidh delivery while Harry Brook almost handed a catch to short midwicket. Both were unbeaten at Stumps with England having their work cut out on the final day, needing 536 more with seven wickets remaining.
Day 5: Akash Deep bags his first 5-fer as India break Birmingham jinx by 336 runs to level series 1-1
After the rain interruption pushed back the start of play by 100 minutes, Prasidh Krishna and Akash started the proceedings, with the latter bowling from the opposite end from which he bagged two wickets on Day 4. However, Akash found early success from this end too, getting a tentative Ollie Pope to push forward and play one onto the stumps.
Prasidh kept it tight from the other end, unlike the first innings, while Akash kept posing questions on the off-stump and outside. But then there was one that jagged in sharply to Harry Brook, trapping him in front. Akash and Prasidh continued until the drinks break but Ben Stokes and Smith kept the pacers at bay while also finding the boundaries.
Mohammed Siraj was the first bowling change while Ravindra Jadeja came on from the other end and troubled Stokes by targetting the rough outside off. The England captain nearly gloved one to leg-slip but managed to score off Siraj as the sixth wicket stand reached fifty.
With about five minutes left for the break, Washington was introduced and bowled in tandem with Jadeja. The offspinner thought he had Stokes caught down the leg-side but Shubman Gill was averse to a review. But Washington struck soon after, getting Stokes out LBW on the brink of Lunch, with a review failing to help the left-hander.
Washington found the outside edge of Chris Woakes’s bat right at the start of the second session but the ball landed short of KL Rahul who was standing a bit deep at slip. Jadeja continued from the other end and got through his overs quickly, adding to the pressure. Smith, who was reaching out to play deliveries pitched outside leg from Jadeja, got to his fifty.
But India maintained the heat and got Akash back into the attack, with the pacer creating some chances which fell short. Prasidh came in from the other end and he ended the seventh wicket association with a short ball that was top-edged by Woakes. In the same over, Smith used the DRS to reverse an onfield decision of lbw.
Smith then took on short balls from Akash to hit a couple of sixes but the pacer persisted with the back of length deliveries, this time bowling it a tad wider and had the wicketkeeper-batter caught in the deep to bag his maiden fifer and left the field soon after.
Brydon Carse tried to fight it out but England lost their ninth as Josh Tongue fell to Jadeja, thanks to a superb catch from Siraj at short midwicket. Akash returned and nearly got his sixth but Siraj misjudged a high catch offered by Carse. Shoaib Bashir struck a six in the same over and then used the DRS to reverse an caught-behind decision when he tried to paddle Jadeja. Akash eventually bagged his 10th of the match, with Gill holding on to a mis-timed shot from Carse.
Earlier in the Test, India’s batting effort revolved around their skipper Gill, who smashed 269 – the highest score by an Indian captain, and was involved in a 203-run stand with Jadeja followed by 144 with Washington for the sixth and seventh wickets to power India to a first innings total of 587 after they were asked to bat. England had slipped to 84 for 5 before Smith and Brook were involved in a 303-run partnership that took England to 407, with Siraj recording figures of 6-70 while Akash bagged 4 for 88.
Armed with a lead of 180, India had another productive innings with the bat, led again by their captain who scored 161 and registered the second best aggregate by a player in a Test. India finished at 427 for 6 declared, setting England a target of 608. There were some questions raised about the timing of the declaration, which came only a hour into the final session on Day 4. But India pegged England back early with three wickets towards the end of Day 4, and despite the rain on Day 5, they overcame it to register a famous victory.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Ben Stokes the losing England skipper said : Tough one. Two moments. Having them at 200/5 and not being able to burst them open. And then being 80/5 in our reply to India’s big 1st innings there is obviously going to be tough to be able to scrape it back from there.
You look back at the start of the game, 200/5, if we were able to gets some wickets quicker, things could have been a little different. As the game got deeper and deeper, it sort of turned into a wicket, probably suited India more than us to be honest.
Being 80/5 in reply to India’s big first innings total is obviously going to be tough from there. We ran in and tried everything, we changed plans and when a team is on top of you, obviously India is a class team. It’s always very hard to wrestle back when the opposition is full of world-class performers.
Shubman has had an unbelievable game with the bat. It is always tough, when you do spend time out in the field, your body is tired and mind is tired. It’s upto us individuals and as a team, try and get the best out of the situations. Jamie has been incredible since he came into the team, he has been exceptional with the bat and he goes massively into the radar with his wicket-keeping.
Just shows that his natural game and the way him and Harry were able to wrestle the momentum back towards us, I thought it was very very special part of the game to watch from the dressing room. Been another tough week, spend some time in the field and bowlers have run in hard all week again. We got to reset on everything and see where we end up come Lord’s.
Shubman Gill the winning Indian skipper and Player of the Match for his 430 runs across 2 innings said : All the things we spoke about after the first game, we were spot on with all of those things. Our bowling and fielding was tremendous to see. On this kind of wicket, we knew if we get 400-500 on this kind of wicket, we’ll be in the game.
Not everytime we’re going to drop that many catches that we did in Headingley. They (fast bowlers) were magnificent and I think the way we were able to get through the top-order, that was important to us, and both those bowlers bowled brilliantly and even Prasidh, he didn’t get as many wickets as them, but he also bowled brilliantly. He (Akash Deep) bowled with so much heart. The areas and lengths he hit, he was getting the ball to move both ways.
On wickets like these, it’s difficult to do that, he was just magnificent for us. I’d say I’m feeling comfortable with my game, hopefully if we win the series with my contributions, I’ll feel happier. Everyday is a learning curve for me. Whenever I go out there, I’ve said this before, I just want to play as a batsman and I want to think as a batsman and I want to make my decisions and risk management as a batsman.
Sometimes when you are out there and thinking as a captain, you don’t take that risks which I think as a batsman sometimes is necessary. Definitely (Bumrah back at Lord’s?). Very excited for that (Lord’s Test). Probably the most iconic cricket stadium in the world and as a kid everyone dreams about playing there and I think no bigger honour than to be able to captain your country and lead your team there.
Akash Deep is immediately engulfed by his teammates as he takes the final wicket. After squandering their chance in Leeds, India have vanquished England at Edgbaston to make history with their first-ever win at this venue. They didn’t have a single win here in eight attempts previously, but they’ve broken the jinx in the most emphatic fashion, that too with their most valuable player on the bench.
No Bumrah, no problem. Akash Deep stepped in for him and produced a performance for the ages, troubling batters with his nip and skiddiness to pick up ten wickets in the match on a pitch where the England pacers didn’t seem anywhere near as threatening.
Akash Deep’s career-best performance powered India to a series-levelling win at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The pacer finished with 6 for 99 in the second innings – his best innings figures – and also bagged his best match figures of 10 for 187, playing a pivotal role in India’s commanding 336-run victory in the second Test (their biggest in terms of runs in an away Test).
Despite a rain delay at the start of Day 5 and a fighting 88 from Jamie Smith, England could only offer brief resistance as Akash ran through the England line-up to register the best match figures for an Indian bowler in England. With the win, their first in nine attempts at this venue, India also became the first Asian team to register a Test victory at Edgbaston.
A stump each for Shubman Gill, Akash Deep and Siraj as souvenirs. The visitors barely put a foot wrong in this Test after being put into bat on the first morning. The captain led the way and the lower middle-order stepped up as well to post a mammoth 587 on the board. A major difference between the two teams was what their bowlers did in the window where the ball was still new and hard.
While England didn’t find the pitch to their liking, the skiddier Indian seamers – led by Akash Deep – targetted the stumps from different angles and got the ball nipping around. England were reduced to 84/5 in the first innings, and to 83/5 in the second. Those two bursts, along with that crucial one with the second new ball to end a rampaging stand between Jamie Smith and Harry Brook put England a long way behind the eight-ball, never giving a chance to recover.
What a moment for Shubman Gill as well with his first Test win as captain. And hasn’t he been just phenomenal with the bat, oozing class and control and making hundreds seem like an inevitability. A hundred in the first Test, a double hundred and hundred in the second, and having his career average jump from 35 to the 40s.
Bumrah will be back for Lord’s as Shubman Gill confirmed. Archer was seen bowling earlier today. What a series we have in prospect as we go into the third Test. The only thing missing is a better balance between bat and ball. Let’s see how that aspect turns out going forward. For now, India can revel in their achievement and they’ll hope that this is the start of a glorious new era under a captain whose bat is doing all the talking.
Also Read: ENG vs IND : Shubman Gill Appointed Test Skipper For Red Ball