India put up a spirited display to outplay host England by 336 runs in the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Sunday to level the five-match series 1-1. With this win, the Shubman Gill-led side scripted history as it was India’s first-ever Test win at the venue.
India had previously played eight matches in Birmingham and lost seven of them while drawing one. They finally broke a 58-year jinx of not winning a Test match here.
For the contest, a better pitch was on offer for India, where Gill scored an aggregate of 430 with knocks of 269 in the first innings and 161 in the second. Pacer Akash Deep brilliantly rose to the occasion in the absence of leading fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah by picking up 10 wickets, including a six-wicket haul in the final innings. Mohammed Siraj, too, helped the team’s cause with a total of 7 wickets to his name.
It was also India’s biggest away victory in terms of runs. Coming into the Edgbaston Test, a lot of questions were being asked, especially after the loss in the first Test. In the absence of pace spearhead Bumrah, losing the toss, and waiting out a storm on the morning of Day Five, India beating England by a mammoth margin in this Test and drawing parity in the series is something truly special and will be remembered for a very long time. Fittingly, it was Akash Deep, Bumrah’s “replacement”, who capped India’s dominance. A maiden five-wicket haul (6 for 99 runs) helped India dismiss England for just 271 in their second innings. With his 10-wicket haul, he became only the second Indian bowler since Chetan Sharma (1986) to use English conditions to such devastating effects. The spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar also provided variety with the ball and bailed India out with crucial runs. Jadeja, showcasing his all-round brilliance, compiled scores of 89 and an unbeaten 69 across two innings. Sundar, playing his first Test in a long time, chipped in with handy knocks of 42 and 12. Their presence lengthened the load of Indian batters, giving them the depth often required in overseas Tests.
As the action now shifts to the ‘Home of Cricket’ – Lord’s – where the ball nips down that famous slope, Akash Deep, who often brings the stumps into play, might be quite effective from that end, while Bumrah, who swings it late, is likely to make it hard for the rival batters. Most teams would not necessarily opt for two spinners at Lord’s, but the Indian think tank is likely to go ahead with Jadeja and Sundar as India have got three seamers who can do the damage. In all likelihood, Bumrah is set to return with Prasidh Krishna making way, and Team India is unlikely to make any further changes.