India beat England by a big margin of 336 runs at Edgbaston.
Edgbaston is done and dusted. The Shubman Gill-led Indian side has breached Birmingham for the first time in India’s Test history. The visitors defeated Ben Stokes & Co. by a whopping 336 runs, to thump England and equal the scoreline. The two teams will now head to Lord’s, where the third Test will be played from July 10. India registered an emphatic victory on the back of some strong performances from captain Gill, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj. The 28-year-old pacer who was brought in for Jasprit Bumrah scalped 10 wickets in the game. He broke the back of the English side in both innings. While Siraj managed to register figures of 6/70 in the first innings, Akash Deep walked on the same path later. He grabbed a six-wicket haul in the second innings.
HS
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PAL
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MAL-W
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ASM-W
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PHL
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SK
4/0
INA
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PHL
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SK
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INA
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SL
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BAN
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GRC-W
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TKW-W
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SBA-W
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BUL-W
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TKW-W
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SBA-W
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BUL-W
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GRC-W
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GRC-W
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SBA-W
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TKW-W
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BUL-W
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LEST
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LEUL
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OSTG
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LEST
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ATPG
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BRBA
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LEUL
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ATPG
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BRBA
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GENW
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GENW
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HAST
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HAST
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OSTG
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LEST
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ATPG
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GENW
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OSTG
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LEUL
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BRBA
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SCO-W
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TYP-W
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GTC
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91YC
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BCC
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NVR
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GUE
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JER
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NED
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SCOT
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ENGU19
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INDU19
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LLG
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MUR
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NK
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NWW
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FEK
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GUJCC
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KRMPS
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SUL
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MB
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THUO
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THUO
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MR
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TBC
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TBC
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ENGA-W
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NZA-W
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KAK
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MMS
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YAR
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VMK
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RWT
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VMK
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YAR
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MMS
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GER
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TAN
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BHN
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ML
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TAN
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BHN
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TBC
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TBC
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BMB
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CBG
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TBC
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TBC
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TBC
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TBC
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SOM
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ESS
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SOM-W
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ESS-W
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Ben Stokes, the English skipper, was presumably disappointed at the way things panned out over the past five days. In the post-match interview, he spoke about the things England could have done better. He expressed that the Three Lions weren’t able to capitalise on their chances with the bat and ball. On being asked how he would look back at the decision to bowl first, he said that it was a tough call to make.
“Two moments. Having them at 200 for 5, we were really happy there, and not being able to burst them open there and being 80 for 5, it’s tough to be able to scrape it back from there. As the game got deeper and deeper, it suited India more than us”, said Stokes.
India put England to bat on the evening of Day 4, with a hefty target of 608. It was a humongous target in the context of the game. The English players, who were already tired and frazzled with all the time on the field, now had to come and bat for just over an hour. The skipper spoke about the impact of such moments on the players. He was also sure that the team would get used to such situations.
“It is always a difficult position to be batting at the end of the day after a long day. Tired bodies, tired minds. But it’s a situation we’ll face again and need to get used to. And the opposition is world-class, Shubman had a fantastic game”, the English skipper expressed.
Upon being asked about the Indian seamers performing better than the Englishmen, Stokes answered that it wasn’t much of a concern. He expressed that the hosts tried everything they could to stop India and take wickets, but the Indians were just too good with respect to the skills they displayed. He also said that it becomes difficult to bounce back when the opposition is on top.
“I won’t say it’s necessarily a concern. We tried everything, changed plans, and did what we could. But when a team is on top of you, it’s tough to wrestle momentum back”, said Stokes in his post-match interview.
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England registered six ducks in the first innings. If not for Harry Brook and Jamie Smith, the hosts would have been humiliated at home. Who knows, if not for the twin centuries from their No.5 and No.7, the Englishmen would have been on the receiving end of a follow-on. After India piled up 587 runs in the first innings, England were reduced to 84/5. But just when India were starting to dominate, Brook and Smith smashed tons, registering a gruesome partnership of 303 runs. That partnership is what got England to a respectable 407, which still was 180 runs behind India. In the post-match interview, Stokes also emphasised the partnership between Brook and Smith. He also spoke about how well the English wicketkeeper-batter is shaping up.
“Jamie’s been incredible since he’s come into the team. He’s been exceptional with the bat and goes massively under the radar as a wicketkeeper. He stuck to his guns and played his natural game, and the way he and Harry were able to get momentum back, even though it wasn’t enough, was great.”
Upon being asked about the changes ahead of the next Test at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, Stokes confirmed that the team would review how players are shaping up in the next couple of days before determining the balance of the team for the next assignment, starting July 10.
“A couple of days to think about it, but it’s been a tough week, so we’ll see how we shape up at Lord’s.”
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