Birmingham: India delivered an impressive performance to outclass England by 336 runs in the Baconian Test at Edgbaston to level the five-match series 1-1. The Indian Team gave England a mountain to climb with a target of 608 runs, which the hosts could only answer with 271, crumbling in the face of India’s unrelenting bowling by Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep. The towering batting display of Captain Shubman Gill laid the foundation for this memorable triumph, which brought about India’s first Test win at this venue in 58 years.
For as long as anyone can remember, Edgbaston has been a stronghold England have successfully defended against India from that very first meeting here in 1967. Even Indian greats like Kapil Dev, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli had failed to crack the code of winning at this ground – but not anymore. Under Gill, India broke that jinx with a brilliant performance that featured enormous tactical acumen and individual heroics.
England won the toss and decided to field first – a controversial decision which sparked a huge debate and criticism as they watched India have a great time. The Indian batting, driven by Gill’s 269 in the first innings, set their team up for a mammoth first innings score of 587. Yashasvi Jaiswal added 87 at a quick pace and an unbeaten 89 from Ravindra Jadeja swelled the total. Harry Brook’s 158 and Jamie Smith’s 184 steadied things in the England reply, though a failure of other batsmen and a collapse toward then end meant England folded for 407, giving India a significant 180-run lead.
This was also the case with India’s second innings. Gill then completed his masterclass with 161, ending for the fifth time in the history of the game with more than 400 runs in a game with a total of 430. India declared on 427 after half-centuries by KL Rahul (55), Rishabh Pant (65) and Jadeja (69) had taken the hosts to the brink.
That left England facing a towering 608 at the SCG but their hopes started to evaporate early. By the end of the fourth day, half their side was dismissed with only 84 scored. On the final day England’s batsmen, led by Ben Stokes and Jamie Smith, offered some resistance briefly and threatened to save the game. But their resistance disintegrated after Stokes had fallen, leading to a steady slide. Some aggressive swing bowling from Siraj and Akash Deep ensured there was never any doubt around victory for India.
Not just a turning point in this series, but the win firmly establishes Shubman Gill as an up-and-coming leader and a batsman of immense rare quality. It was now India’s turn to carry momentum into the third Test.
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