Root and Bairstow’s tons help England stun India at Edgbaston, retain Pataudi Trophy – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow smashed hundreds as England pulled off a stunning seven-wicket win at Edgbaston to level the five-Test series against India 2-2.

England pulled off their highest-ever run chase in Test cricket in the process, eclipsing the memorable 359-run chase at Headingley during the 2019 Ashes. It was also the eighth-highest chase overall in the format.

Both batters have been having a fantastic season with the bat so far and were once again at their best in England’s chase of the challenging 378-run target. While Root (142 not out) brought up his third hundred of the summer, Bairstow (114 not out) brought up his second ton of the Test, his 106 having rescued the hosts from a jittery position in the series finale. The pair shared an unbroken stand worth 269.

The Indian attack, which had dominated the English batting unit for the most part in the first four Tests last year as well earlier in this game, fell flat during the hosts’ chase of the challenging 378-run target with stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah (2/74) the only Indian among the wickets.

The victory continued England’s unbeaten run in the new ‘Bazball’ Era. The team had earlier swept the three-match Test series against New Zealand, chasing down 250-plus targets on each occasions, and taking their chasing skills to a whole new level in Birmingham against India.

More to follow

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.