The second Test between England and India at Edgbaston comes to an end, with India winning it by a mammoth 336 runs. Today, we look back at the top five moments of the match.
1. Glorious Gill Leads From The Front
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter the first Test, Shubman Gill was critical of the timing of his dismissal, especially in the first innings, as it brought England back into the game due to India’s fragile tail.
In This Test, the tourists decided to strengthen their lower-order batting by bringing in Washington Sundar for Shardul Thakur.
Not only did this happen, but the Indian captain took it upon himself to put his team in a more dominant position.
A stunning 269 in the first innings, followed by an excellent 161 in the second, really stuffed the light out of England’s hopes of winning this Test.
It also gave him the option to continuously set attacking fields and look for wickets, instead of trying to stem the flow of runs.
The way he crafted both his innings was exceptional, and a real demonstration of how to construct a proper Test match innings.
Solid in defence, good judgment outside his off stump, shot selection, high levels of concentration, everything you know about Test match batting was displayed in both innings.
He must be giving headaches to Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum as they search for various ways to get him out.
Can he continue his excellent form throughout the rest of the series?
2. Deep Demolishes England’s Top Order
Embed from Getty ImagesWith Jasprit Bumrah sitting out this Test, India needed someone to step up with the ball. We know that Mohammed Siraj is a fine bowler in these conditions, but with Bumrah not playing, India needed one of the other seamers to come to the party.
Akash Deep was the one who responded, with 4-81 in the first innings, and 6-99 in the second, which was outstanding.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe wicket of Joe Root in the second innings was an absolute jaffer, as it looked like it was coming into middle/middle and leg, and nipped away to hit off stump.
Embed from Getty ImagesHarry Brook’s second innings dismissal was another beauty from Deep, as it jagged back into him when he least expected it.
Surely he has to be in the playing XI for the Lords on Thursday?
3. Smith Saves England From Embarrassment
Embed from Getty ImagesEngland’s Keeper-Batsman was their only bright spot in this Test. His 184 in the first innings, followed by a fighting 88 in the second, saved England from facing an even more embarrassing defeat.
This is now his second century and highest score in Test cricket so far.
The most important aspect of his innings was his character and decisiveness in shot selection.
Not only that, but he also showed good technique while defending from both the front and back foot.
He certainly is a star in the making for England, not just for Tests, but possibly for ODIs and T20Is as well.
4. India Take Their Catches
Embed from Getty ImagesThe other impressive aspect of India’s performance in this game was their fielding, which had cost them dearly in the first Test at Headingley.
The Men In Blue dropped a total of seven catches, five of those in the first innings, and they were made to pay for it.
In this test, they only missed one or two chances throughout the match.
Embed from Getty ImagesSiraj’s catch in the second innings to dismiss Josh Tongue was the pick of the bunch, as he had to dive low to his right.
If India is going to win their first Test series in England, their catching will need to be maintained at the same standard in the following three Tests.
5. Did Stokes Get It Wrong At The Toss?
Embed from Getty ImagesWhile we all know that England’s Bazballers love a run chase, especially having chased down a target of 378 the last time the two sides met at this ground in 2022.
However, as Test Cricket lasts for five days, all sorts of things can happen.
Full credit to India for taking advantage of good batting conditions, and putting two mammoth scores(587 & 427), which completely wiped out any hope of England winning this game.
It seemed as if some of Stokes’s decisions, including the toss, was perhaps too predictable, and when you know what the opposition like doing, you can plan accordingly, to try and get the result in your favour.
it’s not to say that that you shouldn’t stop trying to chase down targets, but in each match, the conditions can be completely different.
“We thought this pitch might get better to bat on as we went through the five days but as we saw it didn’t,”
McCullum: BBC Sport
It was all a bit samey-samey from England in terms of how they went about this Test.
Gill must be relieved that he lost the toss, as he would have also chosen to bowl first.
This is an indication that both sides may not have known how the pitch was going to behave throughout the five days, but perhaps the England Captain should have thought twice before inserting India in on a Day one pitch.
So these were the top five