India 416 (Pant 146, Jadeja 104; Anderson 5-60) and 245 (Pujara 66, Pant 57; Stokes 4-33) England 284 (Bairstow 106, Siraj 4-66) and 378-3 (Root 142 *, 1 Bairstow ) *) England won by seven wickets; draw series 2-2 Marker card
England indifferently completed a record chase of 378 to beat India in quick time on the last morning of the fifth test at Edgbaston.
Centuries of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow led England to its most successful quest in test cricket and the ninth largest in game history.
Needing 119 more of their 259-3 overnight, Root and Bairstow sailed with incredible ease, leading England to a memorable seven-port victory, one of their greatest victories of all time.
The 114 not out of Bairstow was his second century of the match, while Root finished undefeated with 142 in an uninterrupted pair of 269.
They took England to a new level in what is becoming a spectacular summer under new captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.
The win says a series that was postponed last summer drew 2-2, but more importantly, it is the biggest validation so far of England’s ultra-positive approach to test cricket.
His next series is with South Africa in August, while a completely different team under new white ball captain Jos Buttler plays the first of three T20s against India on Thursday.
Bazball climbs new heights
Just five weeks ago, England’s test cricket was on the decline, with McCullum and Stokes tasked with reviving a team that had only won once in 17 attempts.
While the way to win the series 3-0 against New Zealand was exciting, it seemed like a different perspective to play ‘Bazball’ against the powerful Indians.
The home team were under pressure at different times in the game. They were 83-5 in response to India’s first 416 innings, then on Monday India advanced 322 with five second-inning wickets in hand.
And yet England’s insistence that they could pursue any goal proved correct, in large part thanks to the progress of chivalry they made in a brilliant fourth afternoon.
Interestingly, given the magnitude of the result, the fifth morning was almost anticlimatic.
Edgbaston was far from full despite taking all available free tickets, while Root and Bairstow eliminated the little danger left in the chase.
This takes nothing away from what England has achieved: reviewing the 378 for the loss of only three ports is really remarkable.
What can this new England achieve?
Root and Bairstow lead England
The superlatives for the pair of Yorkshire baptismal masters from England have long since run out. That was Bairstow’s fourth in five innings and the sixth this year, Root has made 11 since early 2021.
His 109-3 rebuild on Monday worked uneven India. When Root resumed the 76 and Bairstow 72 on Tuesday morning, India still had scattered players, allowing the races to flow.
Root played sleep units and pad clips. After directing Mohammed Siraj to the third man for his 28th tonne test, he deployed the trick shots. Shardul Thakur was girded on his head for four, then thrown upside down for six.
Bairstow was more circumspect, but still hit anything short. He only showed nerves at 99, going to three figures with a simple pinch of Ravindra Jadeja and celebrating with an emotional hug from Root.
In the end, his association was the fourth highest for any pair in the fourth inning of a test, while the chase surpassed England’s previous record of 359, set when Stokes surprised Australia at Headingley in 2019.
The victory, a process for most of the morning, was completed almost half an hour before lunch.
India loses its chance
This is an overwhelming defeat for India. Last summer they were, by far, the top team, but they canceled the fifth test after a Covid outbreak to the staff of their rejection and now they have lost the first win of the series in England since 2007.
Not only that, but this is the biggest goal they have not been able to defend in test cricket.
They made a selection error in omitting spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, carelessly left a dominant position when they were batting in their second inning, and then were completely passive when England overwhelmed them in the chase of the race.
They were subsequently fined 40% of their match quota and penalized two points from the ICC World Test Championships for a slow excess.
Could the tourists have avoided the mistakes if Jasprit Bumrah had not had to replace Captain Rohit Sharma, who was ruled out with Covid?
Realistically, as England played, nothing would have stopped them.
England was “phenomenal” – the reaction
England captain Ben Stokes, speaking at Test Match Special: “When you have real clarity about what you want to achieve as a team and how you want to play, things get a lot easier.
“We knew we would always come out and try to chase it.
“It’s phenomenal. I wish people could understand what’s going on in this locker room right now, it’s amazing.”
England hitter Jonny Bairstow: “It’s very special to eliminate 378 with just three against. It’s something we’ll never forget.
“The opening association deserves a lot of credit, for the way they did it. The cricket brand we’re trying to play, was personified by that opening grandstand.”
India captain Jasprit Bumrah: “The cricket test is never easy. If you’ve had three good days, you still have to come back and do good performances. We had three good days and we were a little short with the bat and we left. enter the opposition.
“We thought we had a chance this morning. We went with very good intensity, obviously things didn’t go well, but we gave our best.”
Former England bowler Phil Tufnell: “It’s a sublime baptism. It’s just a relentless tic-tac of the strike and a magnificent four-pointer. It’s something to see.
“Joe Root made baptism seem like a routine job. He didn’t care about the world, he just got into his business and never seemed to go out.
“I’m just trying to encompass everything. If England were set at 550, they would still have rejected everything. India had no ideas.”