IND vs ENG, 2nd Test, Day 5: India Break Birmingham Hoodoo With 336-Run Statement Win

While usually filed during the lunch break in the UK, this concluding edition of #MidMatchMemo looks at the full arc of the 2nd Test — and what it means for the series ahead.

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AT THE STROKE OF lunch on the final day of the Edgbaston Test, Washington Sundar’s dismissal of England skipper Ben Stokes made him the first Indian bowler not named Mohammed Siraj or Akash Deep to pick up a wicket in this match. Such had been the opening pair’s effectiveness with the new (or new-ish) ball until then — Akash Deep ended the match with a haul of 10 wickets and Siraj with seven. By the end of the match, Prasidh Krishna and Ravindra Jadeja had also partaken of some of the fun, picking up a wicket apiece.

In the end, India had posted a target that was well beyond England’s much-vaunted chasing abilities, and the vistors snapped up a historic 336-run win. For the hosts, there will be plenty to ponder, particularly that they were greatly let down by the batting this time. After all, if you remove Harry Brook, Jamie Smith and their cumulative 453 runs from the equation, it means each of the other batters averaged a mere 14 runs each time they went out to bat. With the series tantalisingly poised at 1-1, here’s a look at five key talking points from the second Test.

Shubman Gill’s dominance: The skipper amassed 430 (269 and 161) across the two innings to set a number of records tumbling. His first innings knock became the highest score by an Indian captain in men’s Test match cricket. He also surpassed Sunil Gavaskar’s 54-year-old record for most runs scored in a Test by an Indian batter. Add his exploits at Headingley (a combined 155 runs) to the mix and Gill has 585 runs for the series already. If he keeps this up, he’s well on course to eclipse Sir Donald Bradman’s record series tally of 974 runs against England back in 1930. And a final stat, he has scored over a fifth of his 34-Test-old career total of 2,478 runs in the past two matches. While it is still early days for Gill the captain (a role in which he’s won his first Test), it’s safe to say the added responsibility hasn’t affected his batting so far.

Playing it too safe?: With the match concluded and the result written in the books, it’s a good time for reflection, and one of the biggest points to ponder is: Did Gill leave the declaration too late? Coming as it did late on the fourth day (with rain on the cards for the fifth), did the captain really need to set the hosts a 600-plus target? Given the relative ease with which England chased down 371 in the Headingley Test, a bit of conservatism (in terms of setting a target) was always expected. But India just might have overdone it, and had rain played spoilsport on the final day, Gill and Co would’ve been forced to settle for a draw and wonder what might have been. As it turned out, they were spared that disappointment thanks to Akash Deep’s heroics.

Bumrah and who?: That Jasprit Bumrah will be managing his workload (and playing three of the five Tests) during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was known even before the players arrived on British shores. That he would pick the second Test with India 1-0 down in the rubber was far less known. The decision expectedly came under fire from a variety of pundits and commentators. Five days later and with the benefit of hindsight, the call seems far less worrying, and there are two reasons why. Siraj and Akash Deep. The pair claimed 17 of the 20 English wickets to fall in the second Test, bowling with speed, accuracy and perseverance. Somewhere, Mohammad Kaif will be eating his words.

Breaking the Birmingham hoodoo: As commentators and analysts have frequently reminded us over the past five days, a solitary draw is all India had to show thus far for their visits to Edgbaston. The other seven matches had ended in defeats. Sunday, the sixth day of July 2025, marked the first time the visitors tasted victory at Edgbaston. The win also made Gill’s team the first from Asia to triumph at this venue (among Test-playing nations, Afghanistan and Bangladesh have yet to play here).

All eyes on Lord’s: Neither team has very long to dwell on the result with action resuming in four short days at Lord’s. The match is almost certain to feature a revitalised Bumrah, who will strengthen an Indian pace attack that is already running hot. His return will mean either Krishna or Nitish Kumar Reddy will sit out the game. The latter scenario will give the visitors a rather long tail, but a greater variety of quick bowlers — something that could prove useful against a solid English batting lineup. Elsewhere, the Indian brains trust will also have to mull over whether Karun Nair retains the number 3 slot or Sai Sudharsan is reinstated. In the home camp, speedster Jofra Archer seems set to return to the England Test team after over four years. According to data, over 88% of wickets that have fallen at the ‘home of cricket’ since 2022 have been claimed by quick bowlers, and it would be no surprise to see Archer replacing off-spinner Shoaib Bashir in the XI. How it all shakes out though remains to be seen. Fortunately, there isn’t long to go until we find out.

Karan Pradhan is editor-in-chief of Story Mode, a gaming and gaming-adjacent magazine. Follow him on X/Twitter @karanpradhan_