STATS HIGHLIGHTS
Follow UsIndia were at the cusp of their first Test win at Edgbaston. But, the new batting model of England that has brought in a change in Test cricket shattered India’s dream. England breezed their way in a mammoth chase of 378. Plenty of stats from the final Test, here are a few:
England did it again!
First New Zealand, now India, England in this summer have made this habit of chasing targets that were impossible a few years back. Against New Zealand, they chased 270+ in all three matches and in this match, they went a step ahead.
By chasing 378 in the fourth innings, England registered their highest chase in Tests. In addition, in the New Zealand series, they were the only team to chase 250+ in three consecutive matches, with this win they made it four. Also, this is the highest target chased by a team against India in Tests. Previously, Australia in 1977, had chased 339 in Perth.
The partnership of destruction
Following three quick wickets, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root came together when England were 269 runs behind. At the end of Day 4, the partnership had forged an unbeaten 150. In the morning of Day 5, the duo scored 119 runs and remained unbeaten with a 269-run partnership.
In Tests against India, this is the highest for a pair in the fourth innings. As for England, Bill Edrich and Paul Gibb in 1939 against South Africa in Durban, had posted 280 runs, which is the highest. Overall, only three pairs have scored more than them. In a winning chase, Sir Don Bradman and Arthur Morris (301*) of Australia in 1948 and Larry Gomez and Gordon Greenidge (287*) of the West Indies in 1984 had more.
Joe Root piles on the misery for India
Apart from the Ashes tour in Australia, Root has been scoring runs with will since 2021. His 11 centuries in this time frame are the most by a batter, five more than Bairstow (6). Out of those 11, five have come against India. Overall, the century in the fourth innings was his ninth against India. No batter has more centuries than him.
By scoring his fourth century of the series, Root joined another elite list of batters to score four hundreds against India in a series. Sir Don Bradman (1947), Sir Everton Weeks (1948), Mudassar Nazar (1982) and Steve Smith (2014) comprise the list.
Also, this was his second century in the fourth innings this year. By virtue of it, he became the first England batter to score two centuries in the fourth innings of a calendar year. Eventually, Bairstow added himself to this list later. He also became the first England batter to score five or more hundreds across two calendar years (2021 (6) & 2022 (5)).
The summer of Bairstow
In his last five innings, Bairstow has scored four centuries, and unbeaten 71 against New Zealand. Throughout the year, in eight Tests, Bairstow has hit six centuries.
In a calendar year for England, these are the joint most for a batter. Denis Compton (1947), Michael Vaughn (2002) and Root last year are the other three to achieve this feat.
Also, Bairstow became the first England batter in 14 years to score twin hundreds in a match. The last player to achieve this feat was Sir Andrew Strauss in 2008 against India in Chennai. In addition, he became the second England batter after Herbert Sutcliffe to achieve this in the second and fourth innings.
Bairstow has scored all his six centuries this year batting at number five or lower, which is the most for a batter in a calendar year. Michael Clarke in 2012, had scored five centuries batting at this position.
A stupendous rescue
India were tottering at 98/5 in the first innings when Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant came together.
The duo bailed India out by posting a 222-run stand for the sixth wicket. In away/neutral Tests, this is the joint highest sixth or lower wicket partnership for India. Mohammad Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar against South Africa in 1997, also posted 222.
To add more, this was the second highest sixth or lower wicket partnership by a visiting team against England. David Holford and Garry Sobers of West Indies, had put on an unbeaten 274-run stand for the sixth wicket in 1966 at Lord’s. Interestingly, these are the only two occasions of a sixth or lower wicket visiting pair stitching a 200+ partnership after being five down for less than 100.
Pant on fast-track to become the best wicket-keeper
In the first innings, Pant scored a 111-ball 146 and added another 57 runs in the second innings. Throughout this match, Pant broke numerous records:
In this Test, Pant scored 203 runs from both the innings. This is the highest score for an Asian wicket-keeper in non-Asian conditions. He went past Mushfiqur Rahim’s total of 172 against New Zealand in 2017.
In the first innings, Pant reached 2000 Test runs, the fifth fastest by a wicket-keeper and the fastest among Indians. Also, at the age of 24 years and 270 days, he became the youngest Indian to hit 100 International sixes.
The century in the first innings was Rishabh Pant’s second ton in England. By virtue of it, he became the first visiting wicket-keeper batter to hit two tons against England.
This was his fourth ton outside Asia, no other Asian wicket-keeper has more than two. In addition, Pant alone has four centuries in non-Asian countries when the other 27 Indian wicket-keepers combined have three.
His century in the first innings came off just 89 balls, which is the fastest by an Indian wicket-keeper in Tests and the third fastest by an Indian against England. Prior to this, MS Dhoni, against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 2006.
By scoring 57 in the second innings, Pant joined Dhoni in the list of Indian wicket-keepers to score two 50+ scores in England. Dhoni in 2011, also achieved this feat at Edgbaston. Also, he is the only Asian wicket-keeper to score a 100 and 50 in the same match in non-Asian conditions.
Two Indian lefties with a century
In the current XI, Jadeja and Pant are the only two lefties and both scored a century in the first innings. In an innings, this is only the third time two lefties have scored a century for India. In 2007, three left-handers, Sourav Ganguly (239), Yuvraj Singh (169) and Irfan Pathan (102) against Pakistan in Bengaluru had scored centuries. The other instance came in 1999 against New Zealand in Ahmedabad when Sadagoppan Ramesh (110) and Sourav Ganguly (125) scored centuries.
Broad taken to the cleaners, again!
In the 84th over of the first innings, Stuart Broad conceded 35 runs, 29 off the bat and six extras that included five wides and one no-ball. The kicker, those runs came off Jasprit Bumrah’s bat.
These are the most runs conceded by a team in one over in Tests. Previously, there were three instances of a team conceding 28 runs, out of which two were from England. Broad now has conceded the joint most runs in an over in T20Is and the most runs in Tests.
In effective Thakur and Siraj
In the first innings, Siraj bagged four wickets but he had conceded at 5.7 and Thakur conceded at 6.85 in his seven overs with one wicket.
In the second innings, both weren’t among wickets, but both were amongst runs. Siraj conceded at 6.5 whilst Thakur conceded at 5.9. Throughout the match, Thakur had an economy of 6.27 and Siraj conceded 6.18. These are the worst economical spells for an Indian bowler in a Test (15+ overs).
Few other stats:
- In the first innings, James Anderson became the first bowler in Tests to pick up 100 wickets against an opponent at their home venue.
- In the same innings, when he dismissed Pujara, he became the most dismissed batter by Anderson in Tests.
- In Tests at Edgbaston, the 107-run opening stand between Zak Crawley and Alex Lees was the first in the fourth innings since 1929. Bob Catterall and Bruce Mitchell of South Africa had put on 171 in that match.
- In Tests, this is the third innings for England where two batters have hit centuries in the fourth innings. In 1939, against South Africa, there were three batters with a century and in 1924, two batters had achieved this feat against Australia.
- Siraj’ economy of 6.53 in the fourth innings, is the worst economical spell for an Indian bowler who has bowled to 10+ overs in an innings.
- The partnership of 269 between Root and Bairstow was the sixth in the fourth innings this year for England, which is the most by a team in a calendar year.
- England batters have scored four centuries in the fourth innings this year (Root – 2 & Bairstow – 2). These are the most centuries scored in the fourth innings by a team in a calendar year.
