Edgbaston Test, Day 4: England turn the tables on Jasprit Bumrah & Co in a dramatic day’s play

At the start of day four in the Edgbaston Test, India were in a promising position to close out a memorable series victory against England. They had a lead of 257 runs with seven wickets in hand. With the hosts having to bat last on what seemed like a pitch with some assistance for the pacers, Jasprit Bumrah and Co had the ball firmly in their court.

But by the end of day’s play on Monday, the tables had turned in dramatic fashion and it was England who were in pole position to draw the series. This time it was the hosts who were left with seven wickets remaining... now just 119 runs more to win with plenty of batting firepower left.

Cheteshwar Pujara, unbeaten on a half-century, got off to a brisk start on day four and picked three boundaries off James Anderson. But from there on, England made a strong comeback with the ball. They executed their plans and built pressure in unison to pick the last seven wickets for 92 runs.

While England’s bowlers deserved credit, what would disappoint India more is that their batters didn’t help themselves either.

Pujara, well set on 66, was dismissed playing an uncharacteristically reckless shot. It was pitched short and wide by Stuart Broad and the right-hander cut it straight to point. It was a wicket against the run of play and gave England the opening they were looking for.

Shreyas Iyer then started in aggressive fashion, as is expected of him these days, but it didn’t take long for him to fall to a short ball once again. England laid the trap, with plenty of catching fielders on the leg side, Matthew Potts banged it in and the right-hander obliged with a pull to get caught.

Shreyas Iyer bounced out

Iyer made a strong start to his Test career in November last year, with a century against New Zealand in Kanpur. He then cemented his place in the squad by scoring runs against Sri Lanka too. But all that was at home. The two innings in Birmingham, on a pitch that had more juice for pacers, showed that he has a major weakness against short-pitched bowling. He looks uncomfortable nearly every time and for a pure batter in the line-up, it’s definitely a big concern as far as overseas Tests are concerned.

Then came the biggest blow for India. Rishabh Pant, who scored 146 in the first innings and was batting on 57 in the second, attempted a reverse sweep off Jack Leach but ended up getting caught in the slips. Half an hour more of the left-hander could’ve changed the complexion of the game, but his ingenuity, which had been a treat until then in the match, led to his downfall this time.

Ravindra Jadeja, the other Indian centurion in the Test, tried to stick around but the last four Indian wickets fell for 47 runs. It was a phase of play where the Indians played without much conviction in their game plans, neither forcing the pace nor grinding it out.

After Iyer, England also dismissed Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami and Bumrah with short balls. It was an impressive, disciplined performance with the ball by the hosts. Skipper Ben Stokes returned with a four-for while Leach, who was taken for 0/71 in nine overs in the first innings, supported the pacers nicely this time and got 1/28 in 12 overs.

Brilliant opening stand

Despite the mini collapse, though, India were still in a strong position heading into the final innings of the series. There were close to five full sessions remaining and a result seemed certain. England needed 378 runs to win, with the highest-ever successful chase at Edgbaston being 283 by South Africa in 2008.

However, England stuck to the brand of cricket they’re trying to establish under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. Openers Alex Lees and Zak Crawley came to the crease with a positive mindset and went on to add a game-changing partnership of 107 runs for the first wicket.

After a disappointing period with the bat, India were underwhelming with the ball too. Bumrah and Mohammed Shami slipped in a few attractive deliveries but by and large, India simply didn’t do enough with the new ball. As Lees went on the offensive, India’s bowlers didn’t have the discipline to keep the boundaries in check.

There was a brief phase thereafter when India pulled things back. Bumrah brought himself back into the attack and upped his game to hit the top of Crawley’s off stump with a beauty. He then removed Ollie Pope with the first delivery after tea before Lees was run-out after a mixup with Joe Root.

All of a sudden, England had lost three wickets for two runs and needed 269 runs to win. The Indians had their tails up and it seemed they had restored control. But that’s when Root got together with Jonny Bairstow and England went on to deliver their final, potentially knockout, punch of the day.

Root-Bairstow Show

Both batters, in prolific form, were smart in the way they rode out the momentum India had built. There was reverse swing on offer and the odd ball was even staying low. Root was struck on the pad a couple of times while Bairstow was dropped by Hanuma Vihari in the slips when he was on 14, but that was about it for the Indian bowlers.

The Yorkshiremen settled in and started to rotate strike freely. They picked the odd boundary and once again, India didn’t seem to have a plan to turn to. Bairstow, who had hit three centuries in his last four Test innings, was the more aggressive of the two and by stumps, they had put on an unbeaten partnership of 150 runs.

Root and Bairstow’s stand in the third session, after a gritty fightback with the ball earlier, completed an impressive turnaround by England. From being in a deep hole to taking over the driver’s seat – they believed, stuck to their plans, and came a long way. All in just a day’s play.

For India, it was a day they could well regret for a long time. The batters were too casual, faltering instead of batting England out of the game. The bowlers weren’t consistent enough. With 119 runs left to defend, Bumrah and Co are still in with a chance. But to come back from here, India will need a turnaround as remarkable as England’s but much quicker.

Watch Day 4 highlights: