Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 7 (ANI): India secured a historic victory at Birmingham, thrashing England by a massive margin of 336 runs to take a 1-1 lead in the Test series. The win marked India’s first-ever Test triumph at the iconic Edgbaston, and it came in emphatic fashion despite the absence of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
Former India captain and Congress leader Mohammad Azharuddin hailed the team’s performance, calling the win a “significant achievement.”
“The team really played well. England was completely dominated by us,” Azharuddin told ANI.
“After losing the first match, I thought India would be a pushover, but winning the Test without Bumrah is a significant achievement. Bumrah is one of the finest bowlers, and not having him and still winning is outstanding,” he remarked.
India’s dominance was spearheaded by Indian captain Shubman Gill, who produced a match-winning performance with the bat, scoring 269 in the first innings and following it up with 161 in the second, amassing a staggering 430 runs in the match. His effort earned him the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
“I congratulate the team and the captain. He (Shubman Gill) really batted well and played excellently in both innings,” Azhar added.
Coming to the match, England once again opted to field first. After getting KL Rahul (2) early, an 80-run stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal (87 in 107 balls, with 13 fours) and Karun Nair (31 in 50 balls, with five fours) helped India gain some footing in the match. Skipper Shubman Gill had valuable partnerships of 203 runs with Ravindra Jadeja (89 in 137 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and a 144-run stand against Washington Sundar (42 in 103 balls, with three fours and a six), helping India towards 587, scoring 269 in 387 balls himself, with 30 fours and three sixes.
Shoaib Bashir (3/167) was the pick of the bowlers for England, while Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue also managed two each.
In England’s first innings, India had them on the ropes with 84/5. However, a 303-run stand between Harry Brook (158 in 234 balls, with 17 fours and a six) and wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith (184* in 207 balls, with 21 fours and four sixes) sent India on an endless hunt for leather and answers. However, Siraj (6/70) and Akash Deep (4/88) got something out of the new ball and took down the last five wickets for 20 runs, bundling them down for 407 runs, gaining a 180-run lead.
India’s response was a swift half-century partnership between Jaiswal (28 in 22 balls, with six fours) and KL Rahul, who also continued his good run with a 10-boundary-filled 55 in 84 balls. A 110-run stand for the fourth wicket between Rishabh Pant (65 in 58 balls, with eight fours and three sixes) and Gill upped the attack, while Gill managed yet another epic 175-run stand with Jadeja, scoring 161 in 162 balls, with 13 fours and eight sixes. Jadeja scored an unbeaten 69* in 118 balls, with five fours and a six. India declared at 427/6, leading by 607 runs and setting England a monstrous 608 runs to win.
During the run-chase, England was restricted to 50/3. Jamie Smith (88 in 99, with nine fours and four sixes) was the only glimmer of hope for England as they were skittled out for just 271 runs, losing by 336 runs, thanks to a brilliant spell from Akash Deep (6/99), who ended up taking a ten-fer. (ANI)
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