Unsurprisingly, England’s huge victory in the first Test against India has come in for widespread praise. They booked the victory by five wickets in a fixture filled with late drama and brilliant individual displays. That game finished at historic Edgbaston cricket ground in Birmingham. The end result was an exhilarating Test match. England chased down a mammoth target of 371 runs, the tenth highest run chase in Test history.
Joe Root proved central to that victory, too, scoring 53 not out. His calm head on the wicket proved crucial in seeing England through a nervy last few overs to seal the match. Shooting star Jamie Smith really made his mark when his six scored England the victory. That exciting play had the home fans cheering in jubilation!
Ben Duckett’s phenomenal century in the fourth innings was ultimately the difference maker for England. He ended up scoring 109 runs! Scoring this magnificent hundred, he became the first England opener to score a four innings hundred in the 4th innings since 15 years. Duckett combined with Zak Crawley for an extraordinary 188-run third-wicket stand. This terrific stand is now the second-highest opening partnership for England in the fourth innings of Test matches.
Despite England’s struggles in their first innings, where they lost seven wickets for just 41 runs, Ollie Pope’s century provided crucial support earlier in the match. England batter Harry Brook was the closest, making 99 before being caught in the deep by India’s Prasidh Krishna.
Even with five centurions over both innings, India fell short, with key reasons for their batting order’s lack of consistency providing the hope for a dramatic reappearance from Australia. Ominously, six of their batsmen were dismissed for ducks, three in each innings. Shubman Gill lamented the team’s lack of catches taken and lower order runs that cost them in key moments.
“A few dropped catches and the lower order not contributing as much as we would like [cost us], but I am proud. Our young team is learning.” – Shubman Gill
The tone and character of the last day’s play gave a salient reflection of England’s spirit, fight and intent. After a stumbling beginning, Root and Smith’s alliance proved pivotal in guiding England to deliver victory. Together, their efforts shone a spotlight directly on their skill as well as their composure in moments of pressure.
It was the brilliance of Ben Stokes that really turned up the drama in the final throes of the Test match. He played a rash ambitious reverse sweep and perished for 33. In the end it was Duckett’s and Root’s heroics that really saw the teams to England victory.
Ben Duckett expressed his exhilaration after the match, acknowledging the extraordinary nature of the game and the favorable weather conditions that allowed play to unfold.
“Incredible, what a Test match. It was a huge number of runs and we have been lucky with the weather,” – Ben Duckett
Yet rather than detracting from the match, it serves to further illustrate the depth of England’s batting ability. It further establishes a new bar for any subsequent contests with India. This exciting win will create great momentum for the team going into their next games of the series.
