Follow UsEngland won the toss in the second Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham and decided to bowl first. Skipper Ben Stokes told Michael Atherton at the toss that his decision was made because of the overcast conditions at the beginning of the Test.
However, the pitch was quite flat on day one, with majority of the Indian batters who were dismissed succumbing to unforced errors, rather than being bowled by great deliveries.
Former England pacer Steven Finn noticed an additional change to the ground conditions at Edgbaston, and it was the boundary rope, which seemed to have been brought in considerably. According to him, it was to aid England’s aggressive batting style and the preference to chase in the fourth innings.
“So we are here at Edgbaston. I’m stood by the boundary rope, which is a considerable way in from where you may anticipate for a normal Test match here,” Finn said on BBC’s Test Match Special.
“England and their propensity to want to win the toss, bowl first, and chase in the last innings is maybe why the boundary ropes have come so far in.”
Generally, teams make changes to the pitch to suit them better at home; however, there’s no set norm or precedent for boundary lengths being altered for a home side to assist their tactical play in the game.
India were 310/5 at the end of Day 1, with skipper Shubman Gill having scored his second hundred in the tour.