India conquer Edgbaston, seal historic Test win: Key takeaways
What's the story
India leveled the five-match series after beating England in the 2nd Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The visitors claimed their first-ever Test win at this venue after successfully defending 607. The match was defined by Indian skipper Shubman Gill's twin centuries. In a first, India scored over 1,000 runs in the match. This marked India's 10th Test win in England. Here are the key takeaways.
Combination
India go in without Kuldeep Yadav
While India lost the toss, doubts were cast on their team combination. As expected, the visitors rested Jasprit Bumrah, who took a fifer at Headingley, to manage his workload. However, India's ploy to include Washington Sundar in place of Kuldeep Yadav drew criticism. Many believed wrist-spinner Kuldeep could have thwarted the 303-run partnership between Jamie Smith and Harry Brook in the first innings.
Bowling
Weak bowling hurts England
Bowling was England's weak link across both innings. England's pace attack is already with Mark Wood and Jofra Archer. Although Archer was included for the 2nd Test, he returned home citing personal reasons. The likes of Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, and Josh Tongue looked colorless at Edgbaston. Meanwhile, spinner Shoaib Bashir conceded 100-plus runs in both innings.
Karun Nair
Will Karun Nair be retained?
Indian batters broke a ton of records in the 2nd Test. This resulted in India's record aggregate score of 1,014. Perhaps the only grey area was Karun Nair's twin failures. Nair, who made his Test comeback in the series opener, once again faltered after getting fine starts. He was dismissed for 31 (50) and 26 (46). Will Nair be retained for the Lord's Test?
Akash Deep
Impeccable seam movement of Akash Deep
While England's bowling tanked, India prevailed in that department. The likes of Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj bolstered India's Bumrah-less pace attack. Siraj was at his absolute best in the first innings, Akash's impeccable seam movement stunned England. As a result, he took four-plus wickets in both innings. His art of seaming the ball away while bowling from wide of the crease stood out.
Information
Prasidh continues to be expensive
Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna was once again expensive in the first innings. He conceded 72 runs in 13 overs. Notably, Smith even smashed 4 fours and a six off Prasidh in an over. However, Prasidh bowled slightly better in the second innings.
Smith
Valiance of Jamie Smith
England found a savior in the form of Jamie Smith. His counter-attacking knock from the first innings, after England were down to 84/5, was one of the match's highlights. Smith, who slammed an 80-ball ton, added 303 runs with Harry Brook. His valiance after India racked up a mammoth 587 in the first innings was lauded. Smith smashed a fifty in the run-chase too.
Declaration
Were India late with declaration?
There was a chatter regarding India's ploy to declare their second innings late on Day 4. With India's lead crossing 500, skipper Gill refrained from declaring before tea. India aimed for the 600-run mark to bat England completely out of the game. However, the weather forecast showed heavy showers in the first half on Day 5. The threat of a washout loomed large.
Win
Historic win for India, Gill
As mentioned, India won their first-ever Test at Edgbaston. They prevailed here in nine attempts. Overall, India have claimed their 10th Test win in England. They have played 69 Tests in the nation between 1932 and 2025. Gill became the seventh Indian captain to win a Test in England, joining Ajit Wadekar, Virat Kohli, Kapil Dev, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, and Rahul Dravid.