A four-wicket-haul by Mohammed Siraj and a splendid stroke-filled hundred in the first innings and an equally delightful fifty in the second innings of the rescheduled fifth Test by Rishabh Pant went in vain as England denied India to create history at Birmingham on Tuesday.
Despite chasing an above-par 378 runs in the second innings of the rescheduled fifth Test, England made it look easy. The in-form duo of Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root struck hundreds to take their side home comfortably on the fifth day of the Test match.
Their efforts ensured England won the match by 7 wickets, chasing down 378 runs and leveling the series 2-2.
Earlier, India started off horribly in the first innings. They lost five wickets at the score of 98. But it was Rario’s ambassador Rishabh Pant who turned things around. The swashbuckler played his natural game without bothering much about what the scorecard read.
He lashed on a strong English bowling attack to get India back in the game. The wicket-keeper batter received great support from all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. They formed a stand of 222 runs to steer hosts to a top first-innings total of 416. Pant made 111-ball 146 while Jadeja finished with 104 runs to his name.
In reply, England’s innings started just like India’s, even worse than that– they lost five wickets at the score of 83 and then six on 149. It was Mohammed Siraj who had his tail up for the India team. The pacer grabbed four wickets while skipper Jasprit Bumrah also picked up three.
For England, Jonny Bairstow, who has lately been in the form of his life, played a fabulous knock of 106 runs to take them to a 284-run total in the first innings.
India thus got a massive lead of 132 runs. But their batting shattered again in the second innings, of course barring Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant, who both scored jalf-centuries. Apart from them, none of the Indian batters could make an impact as India set a 378-run target for England.
The Ben Stokes-led side, unlike the first innings, started the chase pretty well with both Alex Lees and Zak Crawley showing great resistance at the crease. Bumrah, however, did get India back in the scheme of things by scalping two back-to-back wickets.
However, before Indian bowlers could deny England a victory, Bairstow and Root unleashed their A-game. The duo just didn't let Indians settle down. They found those boundaries at regular intervals, putting hosts on the back foot.
Be it seamers or spinners, Root and Bairstow seemed unmoved against both. At the end of day four, they took England to the driver’s seat with the scoreboard reading 259/3.
Then, with just 119 runs to get on the final day, England chased it down without much fuss. Both Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow returned with unbeaten centuries. The former made 142* while the latter scored 114*.
Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj are Rario ambassadors. Stay tuned to Rario for exclusive NFTs featuring both these Indian stars
