England vs India LIVE: Cricket 5th Test result and reaction as Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow lead England to record win
Follow latest reaction after England sealed a record win on the final day of the fifth Test at Edgbaston
England ‘reshape Test cricket’ says Stokes ahead of India Test
Follow live coverage after England stormed to victory on the final day of the fifth Test against India at Edgbaston.
Unbeaten centuries from Joe Root (142) and Jonny Bairstow (114) guided Brendon McCullum’s thrillseekers to a record chase of 378 with seven wickets remaining.
No England side had ever hunted down more than 359 - Ben Stokes’ Ashes miracle at Headingley three years ago - but the new spirit of adventure which has engulfed the team this summer raised the bar again in Birmingham following on so quickly from the 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand.
An intrepid century stand between openers Alex Lees and Zak Crawley on day four carved off a huge chunk of the target, before Root and Bairstow continued their imperious form to guide the hosts home with ease on the fifth morning. Follow all the latest reaction in the live blog below:
England storm to record win over India after Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow centuries
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow hit twin centuries as England’s revitalised Test side roared into the history books, breezing a record chase of 378 to floor India at Edgbaston.
England completed a staggering seven-wicket success as their Yorkshire run machines ran riot with an undefeated stand of 269.
Bairstow made 114 not out for his second hundred of the match and his sixth this year, continuing a purple patch that has redefined his whole career, while Root’s 142no was a masterclass that took him to 28 Test tons.
England started day five needing another 119 but did it with comical ease in less than 25 overs and not a single concrete chance offered. This was nominally a series decider, held over from 2021 after a Covid postponement last September, but while victory squares the scoreline at 2-2 it barely seems fair to tether this England side to the past.
They are forging an entirely new identity under the adventurous captaincy of Ben Stokes and the guidance of head coach Brendon McCullum, delivering in incredible fashion on a lofty ambition of changing the face of Test cricket. After chasing targets of 277, 296, 299 and now 378 with a flourish this summer, it is hard to argue against.
England storm to record win over India after Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow centuries
Fifth Test, day five - England 284 & 378-3 beat India 416 & 245 by seven wickets: Root and Bairstow’s unbeaten 269 partnership saw England knock off the remaining runs on the final morning at Edgbaston
Crunching the numbers on England’s record run-chasers
England continued their record-breaking spree on Tuesday by chasing a mammoth 378 to beat India in front of a packed Edgbaston crowd.
The successful chase was the largest in England’s history, stretching back more than 1,000 Test matches, and the eighth-largest recorded by any side.
Under new captain Ben Stokes, England had already become the first side in Test history to chase three scores of 250-plus in back-to-back games against New Zealand.
The records kept coming against India, with the latest chase being their fourth match-winning effort in a row. No England side has ever won four consecutive Test matches batting last.
Here we look at the numbers behind England’s remarkable run of chases:
Crunching the numbers on England’s record run-chasers
The Test team completed the largest fourth-innings run chase in their history against India
England storm to record win over India after Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow centuries
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow inspired England to a record run chase as they completed a remarkable seven-wicket victory over India on the final morning of the fifth Test at Edgbaston.
The Brendon McCullum-inspired freedom with which England are playing shows no sign of abating and the ease with which they completed a fourth-innings chase of 378 is yet another feather in the cap of the ‘Bazball’ style of play that has liberated the entire team almost immediately.
A large chunk of the hard work had been done on day four and although a not-insignificant 119 further runs were still required on day five, Root (142 not out) and Bairstow (114no) comfortably knocked those off in around 90 minutes to end with an unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership of 269.
England storm to record win over India after Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow centuries
Fifth Test, day five - England 284 & 378-3 beat India 416 & 245 by seven wickets: Root and Bairstow’s unbeaten 269 partnership saw England knock off the remaining runs on the final morning at Edgbaston
Post-match reaction from England’s Joe Root
Joe Root had a chat with Ian Ward and Nasser Hussain after sowing up the fifth test for England in a record run chase.
“It was pretty fun doing it.” he said, “Throughout the whole summer, from that first game we’ve said ‘whatever they get, we’ll chase it.’
“Ben [Stokes] said to us before the toss, ‘we’re not going to bat first, we’re going to chase.’ That’s the mentality of how we’re going about things at the minute.
“Once we got that partnership going, we just felt in full control. So much credit has to go to the two lads at the top [Alex Lees and Zak Crawley], the way they set the platform, the way they shifted pressure straight back onto India.
“To smash that new ball around on a wicket that was doing a bit was just incredible batting. It really made the work that we had to do afterwards a lot easier. It really was a sublime partnership against a world class attack.
“The feeling in the dressing room at the moment is ‘whatever you get, we’re going for it and we’re going to take it down.’”
Eng win by seven wickets and draw five-match series 2-2.
In November 2019, India’s Virat Kohli had 27 Test hundreds and England’s Joe Root had 16.
In July 2022, Virat Kohli has 27 Test hundreds and Joe Root has 28.
Batting in test cricket is hard but Joe Root is making it look ridiculously easy at present.
Eng win by seven wickets and draw five-match series 2-2.
Jonny Bairstow’s last five test match innings: 136 (92 balls), 162 (157 balls), 71* (44 balls), 106 (144 balls), 114* (145 balls)
589 runs from 578 balls at an average of 196.
Eng win by seven wickets and draw five-match series 2-2.
A hundred in both innings of this test match for Jonny Bairstow. His third and fourth of the summer, 11th and 12th in test cricket overall.
Incredible batting.
Eng win by seven wickets and draw five-match series 2-2.
Joe Root finished with 142*, Jonny Bairstow 114*. Two incredible performances from the Yorkshiremen to see England home with ease this morning.
After a couple of life-lines yesterday afternoon it was a chanceless chase from England on the fifth day.
Eng win by seven wickets!
Bairstow works Jadeja away for one before Root switch-hit sweeps him for four to draw the score level. Another reverse sweep into the offside gives Root a single and England win the game!
They’ve rattled home at a canter, it’s a record chase for England in test cricket, a record chase at Edgbaston.
England win the game and level this delayed series at 2-2.
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