What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
BENGALURU: Fired up after Virat Kohli’s ‘pep talk’, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow on Tuesday cracked spectacular hundreds and made light of a 378-run chase as England coasted to a seven-wicket victory in the rescheduled fifth Test against India at Edgbaston. This is England’s highest ever successful run-chase in Test cricket ever. With this win, the five-match series has ended in a 2-2 draw.
Resuming from their overnight score of 259 for three, the hosts only needed 20 overs to knock off the remaining 119 runs. Both Root and Bairstow didn’t pull punches and ruthlessly flayed Indian bowlers to all parts of the park. Indian bowlers either bowled too full outside the off-stump or drifted too often on the pads.
Root reached his 28th Test hundred by dabbing Mohammed Siraj for a boundary in the 67th over, while Bairstow – who had also thumped a ton in the first innings – nudged Ravindra Jadeja to square leg to reach the milestone.
Root has now smashed nine Test tons against India which is the most by any batsman against this team. In fact, in the last 19 months Root has taken his game to another level by notching up 11 Test tons. Till two years ago, Virat Kohli had 27 Test hundreds while Root had made only 17. As things stand today, Kohli is still stuck at 27 while Root has edged ahead with 28 tons.
In the first innings, Bairstow was at sea against Indian bowlers for the first 60 balls as he collected only 13 runs. However, former Indian captain Kohli unleashed a barrage of verbal volleys at him which seemingly fired him up. He went on to score 106 in the first innings and reduced the deficit. In the second innings, he outdid himself and slammed another creditable century.
Clearly Kohli, who has been going through a rough patch since 2020, chose a wrong moment to fire him up. Overall, this is Bairstow’s sixth hundred this year and he is in the form of his life at the moment.
Earlier, by dint of Rishabh Pant’s whirlwind ton, India had scored 416 in their first innings and had bowled the hosts out for 284 to gain a 132-run lead. In their second essay, Indian batsmen couldn’t capitalize and the team only managed 245.
Chasing 378 was still an uphill task and after England were reduced to 109-3 on Monday, it seemed India would win their first Test series in England since 2007. But Root and Bairstow stitched up an unbeaten 269-run stand for the fourth wicket to catapult their team to a famous win. The fact that England chased down 378 in just 76.4 overs makes this feat even more astonishing.
