Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow slammed unbeaten fifties to lead England's mammoth chase of 378 against India on day four of rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston on Monday. At stumps, the hosts were 259/3 in 57 overs, needing just 119 on a sold-out final day to level the five-match series being played for the Pataudi Trophy.India could have made England chase in excess of 400 on day five if it was not for some poor shot selection.
After starting the day at 125 for three, India were all out for 245 in the second innings.Bairstow, who is in the form of his life, was dropped on 14 by Hanuma Vihari and he made India pay dearly for it. With Ben Stokes and Sam Billing still to come, India will need something special to pull off a win from here. India’s bowling performance in the second innings was reminiscent of their struggles in South Africa where they failed to defend the target twice after winning the series opener.
