India vs England recap: How a dominant Team India took a 2-1 series lead last year | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: India will lock horns against England in their rescheduled fifth Test at Birmingham which was cancelled last year barely few hours before its scheduled start due to an outbreak of Covid-19 in the Indian camp.
It’s a bit of deja vu for India this time around with skipper Rohit Sharma testing positive for Covid-19. The team management is yet to take a final call on his inclusion in the match. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah will lead the side if Rohit remains unfit.
With a 2-1 lead India have a golden chance to win a Test series in England for the first time since 2007. But it might just be an uphill task for India, with a new era having dawned for English cricket under new captain (Ben Stokes) and coach (Brendon McCullum).
The English are on a high after inflicting a 3-0 whitewash on World Test Champions New Zealand recently in their own backyard.
Ahead of the fifth Test match which gets underway from Friday, TimesofIndia.com here looks back at the highlights of the four Test matches that were held last year:
1st Test: Match ended in a draw at Nottingham
Having suffered an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the World Test Championship final, India immediately made amends and got their new season in England last year off to a good start. But the persistent rain at Nottingham played spoilsport in India’s very realistic shot at victory in the series-opener.
India were in total control of the first Test after bowling out England for a meagre 183 in the first innings and then going on to take a crucial 95-run lead. However, England, riding on Joe Root’s century, produced a much-improved batting performance to score 303 in the second innings and set India a not so daunting 209-run target.
India were nicely poised at 52 for 1 in 14 overs at the end of the fourth day. But the rain Gods came to the host’s rescue as the entire fifth day’s play was washed out and India were forced to share WTC points with England.
Despite the heartbreak of being denied a win it was a welcome change for India who have traditionally not been able to win the opening Test in England, except in 2007 and 2014.
Jasprit Bumrah, who was certainly not at his best during the World Test Championship final against New Zealand, found his mojo again with a nine-wicket haul in the match.
SERIES SCORELINE: 0-0

(Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)
2nd Test: India won by 151 runs at Lord’s
India though made sure they crossed the finish line in the second Test at Lord’s by inflicting a massive 151-run defeat on England to go 1-0 up in the five-match series. India’s world class pace attack not only contributed with the ball but also made their presence felt with their bats to fashion one of the more famous overseas Test victories for the team.
After scoring 84 in the first innings of the first Test, KL Rahul continued his rich vein of form and smashed a century to help India post 364 in the first innings. England responded by taking a thin 27-run lead with Joe Root again leading from the front with an unbeaten 180.
India were reduced to 55/3 in their second innings before Ajinkya Rahane (61) and Cheteshwar Pujara (45) put on a 100-run stand to steady the ship. But Pujara’s dismissal again triggered a collapse as India were left tottering at 209/8.
The odds seemed to be in England’s favour at that time, but the famous saying ‘cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties’ came to the fore with Indian tailenders Mohammed Shami (56 not out) and Jasprit Bumrah (34 not out) playing the Test innings of their lives and bailing India out of that precarious position with a 89-run unbeaten stand. India declared their second innings at 298/8 to set a 272-run target for England.
Bumrah (3/33 in 15 overs) and Shami (1/13 in 10 overs) then shined with the ball – rocking the England top-order, before Ishant Sharma (2/13 in 10 overs) and Mohammed Siraj (4/32) played their part to perfection to hand India a 151-run victory.
This was India’s only third Test match win at Lord’s having won Tests at this venue earlier on their 1986 and 2014 tours.
SERIES SCORELINE: 1-0 TO INDIA

(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
3rd Test: England won by an innings and 76 runs at Leeds
It was now England’s turn to bounce back hard. After the high of a 151-run victory in the Lord’s Test, India suffered a dramatic batting collapse on the first day of the third Test. The England pacers fired in unison to bundle out India for a meagre 78 – their 9th-lowest total in Test history – in their first innings.
The England batsmen complemented their bowlers’ outstanding effort by posting 432 in their first innings and taking a huge 354-run lead. Joe Root continued to torment Indian bowlers and smashed his third century of the series to ensure England’s series-levelling win.
India, however, came up with a dogged reply in their second innings with Rohit Sharma (59), Cheteshwar Pujara (91) and Virat Kohli (55) scoring the bulk of the runs to revive India’s hopes. But all the good work was undone by pacer Ollie Robinson who engineered a middle-order collapse with the second new ball to help England clinch an emphatic innings and 76-run victory and draw level in the series.
SERIES SCORELINE: 1-1

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
4th Test: India won by 157 runs at The Oval
England carried their winning momentum into the fourth Test at the Oval by bundling out India for 191 in the first innings. But then the Indian bowlers hit back to reduce the hosts to 62/5, before the lower middle order restored parity with contributions from Ollie Pope (81) and Chris Woakes (50), which helped England take a 99-run lead.
Staring down the barrel somewhat, India staged a remarkable fightback in the second innings with Rohit Sharma leading from the front with a terrific knock of 127. Rishabh Pant (50) and Shardul Thakur (60) then added a 100-run stand for the seventh wicket to help India set a big 368-run target for England.
The Indian bowling attack was without two of its senior pacers – Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami – but was still potent enough to bowl out England for 210 in 92.2 overs as India posted their first Test win at The Oval in 50 years.
Umesh Yadav (3/60), Jasprit Bumrah (2/27), Ravindra Jadeja (2/50) and Shardul Thakur (2/22) completed the formalities with the second new ball as India won two Test matches in a single series in England after a gap of 35 years.
SERIES SCORELINE: 2-1 TO INDIA

(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
The rescheduled fifth Test begins in Birmingham on Friday (July 1). India need a win or a draw to win the series.