Considering India have not won a Test here at Edgbaston in eight previous attempts, the Gautam Gambhir-coached team face their biggest challenge on that count, with or without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, when the second Test commences here on Wednesday.
Ground reality
India have played eight Tests here, losing seven and drawing one (see box). The last time India played here in 2022 — in the rescheduled fifth Test from the 2021 series — England chased down 378 in just 76.4 overs with seven wickets to spare, achieving their highest chase in Test. That defeat meant England managed to draw the series after India had returned home leading 2-1 at the end of the fourth Test due to the spread of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom. Interestingly, Bumrah was the stand-in skipper in the fifth Test in place of Rohit Sharma, who was unfit.
However, though India do not have happy memories of Edgbaston, in the wake of their performance in the first game at Headingley, looking only at the positives, one would feel that the visitors can turn things around. Among the biggest positives was India’s top-order batting. However, the performance of the lower-order batsmen majorly let the team down. Of course, the catching too must improve, and they also need to get their bowling combination right.
Woakes wary of visitors
Even England are wary of India despite winning at Leeds. Fast bowler Chris Woakes told the media on Monday that the visitors cannot be taken lightly. “We know India are a top team. They play an exciting brand of cricket like we saw in the first game. They may have lost the game, but they remain a strong side. Even after the retirement of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the other players have shown their class. The huge crowd support here will help them lift their game. So, yes, no way we are undermining them,” said Woakes.
At the practice session on Monday, India stuck to their top-order batting line-up, meaning debutant Sai Sudharsan and comeback man Karun Nair may not be dumped. There are a couple of spots where the team management will have a rethink, one is the position of all-rounder Shardul Thakur, and the other is of a pace bowler, who could make way for either Akash Deep or Arshdeep Singh, or even a spinner in the form of Kuldeep Yadav, especially as the wicket is expected to be dry and the weather warm.
Birmingham blues
mid-day revisits India’s winless run at Edgbaston
1967 (England win by 132 runs)
India restricted England to 298 and 203 across their two innings before collapsing to 92 all out in the first innings and managing just 277 in the second. India lost with two days to spare.
1974 (England win by an innings & 78 runs)
Batting first, India were bowled out for 165. In reply, England posted a mammoth 459-2 declared. The Ajit Wadekar-led team collapsed to 216 in the second essay.
1979 (England win by an innings & 83 runs)
India stumbled to 297 all out in reply to England’s mammoth 633-5 declared. Following on, the visitors were bowled out for 253
on Day 4.
1986 (Match drawn)
England and India were coincidentally bowled out for an identical total —390 runs — in the first innings. In the fourth innings, the visitors, needing 236 for victory, were 174-5 on Day Five when stumps were drawn.
1996 (England win by eight wickets)
India were bowled out for 214 in the first stint after which England posted 312. Indian then fell for 219 and England comfortably chased down the 121-run target.
2011 (England win by an innings & 242 runs)
India were were bowled out for just 224 in the first innings after which England piled on 710-7 declared before bundling out the visitors for 244.
2018 (England win by 31 runs)
England were restricted to 287 while India scored 274 first up. India then dismissed England for just 180 in the second innings, but shockingly collapsed for 162.
2022 (England win by seven wickets
India posted 416 and then bowled out England for 284. In the second stint, India were bowled out for 245 and England amazingly chased down the 378-run target with ease.
