Gill's magnificence. Siraj and Akash's brilliance. Jadeja's class. Jaiswal and Rahul's success. Stokes' toss blunder. Root's failures.
Shubman Gill's young Indian team created history at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Sunday, July 6, 2025, as they thrashed England by 336 runs to level the five Test series 1-1.
This was India's first Test victory in Edgbaston where they had finished winless in previous eighth attempts while 25-year-old Gill tasted an emphatic first victory as Test captain.
Akash Deep sizzled with a career-best 10 wicket haul while Gill smashed a record 430 runs in the match as India registered their biggest away triumph from home in terms of runs.
A look at how India bounced back in Birmingham:
Gill's record-breaking run!
Shubman Gill's sensational batting performance was the primary driving force behind India's amazing comeback in Birmingham.
India lost the series opener in Headingley despite dominating most of the game but they ensured they didn't repeat the same errors in Birmingham.
Gill led the charge with a record-breaking 269 in the first innings and followed it up with another cracking 161 in the second, setting a record for the most runs by an Indian in a single Test and the second-highest overall by any batter.
If not for his double century in the first innings, India might have finished on a below-par total. As the captain, he took the responsibility upon himself after a mini collapse to add 203 runs for the sixth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja to take India to safety.
In the second innings, he made merry as he feasted on a toothless England bowling attack to smash a magnificent 161 from 162 balls, with 13 fours and eight sixes.
He is only the second batter to make two 150-plus scores in a Test, while he joins an elite group of batters, who have scored a century and a double century in a Test match.
With 585 runs from the first two Tests, Gill's Test average has jumped from 35.06 at the start of the series to 42.72.
All of India's four century-plus partnerships in the Birmingham Test involved Gill, showcasing how their captain was central to their incredible batting performance in both innings as they raked up a record tally of 1,014 runs across the two innings -- their highest ever aggregate in a Test.
Leading in just his second Test, young Gill showed he is fast learning the nuances of the job. He impressed with his aggressive fielding placements and the way he managed his bowling resources in Jasprit Bumrah's absence was praiseworthy.
Siraj-Akash Deep sizzle
Minus Bumrah, senior most pacer Mohammed Siraj shouldered the burden with the ball for India at Edgbaston.
On a pitch, where India had raked up a huge 587, England were off to a horror start with the bat.
Siraj along with the unheralded Akash Deep, playing in only his eighth Test, blew away the England top order with the new ball on a good wicket.
Siraj took three wickets while Akash Deep bagged four wickets -- reducing England to 84/5 before they recovered to 407, but the huge first innings lead of 180 runs proved decisive.
Siraj ensured England's tailenders, who had caused India trouble in the first match, didn't last long. He dismissed the trio of Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Shoaib Bashir for ducks --- within the space of five deliveries, finishing with match-turning figures of 6/70, while Akash Deep claimed 4/88.
In the second innings, Akash Deep left his mark with an inspired spell of fast bowling, beating the Englishmen at their own game by getting the ball to swing prodigiously both ways -- finishing with career-best figures of 6/99 and securing his first 10 wicket match haul.
It was a gigantic feat by the young pacers as they outshone England's pace quartet in their own backyard. The England pace attack comprising Chris Woakes, Carse, Tongue and Stokes managed a combined haul of just nine wickets in a total of 144 overs sent across the two innings.
On the other hand, Siraj and Akash Deep -- both combined to pick 17 wickets in the match in a total of 72.4 overs bowled.
Jadeja's batting masterclass
Ravindra Jadeja stroked half-centuries in both innings to justify his inclusion. India persisted with the senior all-rounder despite his modest record with the ball in England.
His 203-run partnership with Gill was the big turning point of the match.
India looked in danger of being bundled out under 300 when Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy perished in back to back overs.
But No. 7 Jadeja brought all his experience into play as he played the supporting role to perfection to his young captain.
Jadeja narrowly missed out on his second successive century in Birmingham, as he was dismissed for 89.
In the second innings too, Jadeja played his part with the bat, as he and Gill put on another huge stand of 175 runs for the fifth wicket -- becoming the first Indian pair to record both a century and double-century partnership in the same Test.
He made an unbeaten 69 in the second innings to power India to 427/6, thereby taking the match beyond England's reach.
Stokes' toss blunder
Ben Stokes' blunder at the toss proved costly for England.
As commentator Ravi Shastri rightly noted, 'It was a good toss to lose once again' for Gill.
Having chased down 371 for victory in Headingley, an overconfident England once again elected to bowl on a good pitch, hoping to repeat their magic from the first Test. But the gamble backfired big time as India amassed a huge total in the first innings to take firm control of the contest.
This time, India made sure they didn't repeat their mistakes, with Gill leading the charge with the bat to make sure they didn't throw away the advantage of getting to bat first wicket on a dream pitch for the batters.
On the other hand, Stokes failed to inspire England with both bat and ball. While he took five wickets, his batting in both innings left a lot to be desired, with scores of 20 and 33.
'I think, as the game unfolded, we probably looked back on that toss and said did we miss an opportunity there and it's probably fair,' admitted England Coach Brendon McCullum after the match.
'We didn't expect that the wicket would play quite as it did and hence we probably got it slightly wrong.'
Rahul-Jaiswal's solid starts
One of the major talking points for India on their overseas tours in the past has been their opening combinations.
But in the first two Tests in England, the opening duo of K L Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal have made a significant impact. Interestingly, in each of the four innings of the series so far, at least one of them has gone past the fifty mark.
In the first match, Jaiswal and Rahul scored a century each in the first and second innings respectively. Their opening stand of 91 runs in the first innings in Headingley was instrumental in setting the tone for India right at the start of the series.
In Birmingham too, the openers once again made a telling contribution. Jaiswal stroked his way to an impressive 87 in the first innings of the Birmingham Test to help India bounce back after Rahul had perished early.
In the second innings, when Jaiswal fell for 28, Rahul ensured he stayed at the wicket to score 55 to help shore up the middle order.
Root uprooted
One of the biggest successes for India's bowlers in the series has been their ability to neutralise Joe Root's batting prowess.
Root enjoys a superb record against India, having scored nearly 3,000 runs in 32 Tests against India at an average of 56, with 10 centuries.
But so far, he has been unable to get going. In the first innings in Birmingham, he was unlucky to be caught down the leg side off Mohammed Siraj for 22, but in the second innings, he was cleaned up by a beauty from Akash Deep, who got the ball to move away late to uproot the stumps, dismissing him for just six.
In the first two games, dominated by batters, England's batting mainstay has struggled, managing just 109 runs from four innings, with only one fifty, a stark contrast to his usual dominance against India.
Photographs: Reuters
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