India script an inspiring first Test win at Edgbaston 

India came into the second Test at Edgbaston with the history of not having won a single Test match at the venue and without having their premium bowler Jasprit Bumrah in the playing XI.

During the eve of the match, India skipper Shubman Gill had spoken about focussing on winning without thinking much about the past. He made sure his team walked the talk after he led India to a historic 336-run win, while scoring a record 430 runs in the Test. This victory at Birmingham is also India’s biggest away Test win in terms of runs.

After a brief rain interruption, England started Day 5 needing 536 runs with seven wickets in hand before Akash Deep’s double strikes of Ollie Pope (24) and Harry Brook (23) within the first half an hour of play put the hosts on backfoot early in the day.

With his team in deep trouble at 83/5, skipper Ben Stokes stitched a 70-run partnership with the first innings centurion Jamie Smith trying to steady the ship but Washington Sundar trapped Stokes in front of the stumps at the stroke of lunch making it India’s session completely.

Smith continued from where he left in the first innings, bringing up another half century and holding fort for the hosts post lunch. Prasidh Krishna then sent back Chris Woakes before Smith took on Deep hitting him for two consecutive sixes. Deep however had the last laugh as he picked his first-ever five-for in Tests when Smith attempted to hit the bowler for a third six and hitting it straight to Sundar instead.

India then completed formalities soon after when a stunning diving catch by Mohammad Siraj helped Ravindra Jadeja to grab his first wicket of the innings and Deep fittingly pouching the final wicket of Brydon Carse, claiming a maiden 10-wicket haul in the process as India notched up their first win the new ICC World Test championship cycle.

With the series poised at 1-1, the teams will lock horns for the all-important third Test at Lord's from Thursday, 10 July.