Birmingham: India produced a resounding allround performance to clinch the second Test against England by 336 runs at Edgbaston, sealing the match late on Day 5 after a spirited but ultimately futile lower-order fightback led by Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse.
India's first ever Test victory at Edfbaston has squared the five-match series 1-1.
India’s dominance was headlined by captain Shubman Gill’s record-breaking twin centuries — a monumental 269 in the first innings followed by a masterful 161 in the second. Gill became only the second Indian to score twin centuries in a Test match in England and the first to do so while leading the side. His aggregate of 430 runs in the match is the highest by an Indian batsman in a single Test, surpassing Sunil Gavaskar’s iconic effort at Port of Spain in 1971.
Gill’s batting masterclass laid an unshakable foundation for India’s control of the game.
Remarkably, India achieved this emphatic win without the services of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, showcasing the depth and resilience of the bowling attack. Akash Deep rose to the occasion, delivering a match-winning performance with a ten-wicket haul (5/86 & 5/73), including the final wicket of the game — Brydon Carse caught by Gill at cover — to trigger jubilant celebrations. It was Akash Deep's maiden ten-fer in Tests and marked his arrival on the big stage.
England, chasing an improbable 608 for victory, were bowled out for 271 in 68.1 overs. They began the day at 72/3, but by lunch had slumped to 153/6. Akash Deep’s early strikes removed Ollie Pope and Harry Brook, while Washington Sundar delivered the key blow by trapping Ben Stokes LBW in the final over before the interval.
Post-lunch, Jamie Smith fought back with a fluent 88 off 99 balls, featuring nine fours and four sixes. He and Carse added 70 runs, but once Smith was undone by a slower ball from Akash Deep, England's collapse was inevitable. Carse entertained briefly with 38 off 48, but holed out in desperation.
India’s bowling unit — led by Akash Deep and ably supported by Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja — maintained pressure throughout. Jadeja’s sharp turners and Siraj’s fielding brilliance, including a spectacular catch at short mid-wicket, underlined India’s intensity even in the final hour.
India had earlier piled up mammoth totals of 587 in the first innings and 427/6 declared in the second, while England’s 407 in the first innings had kept the contest competitive until the visitors seized total control.
This 336-run win ranks among India’s most comprehensive overseas victories, made more significant by the absence of Bumrah and the hostile English conditions. With three Tests to go, the series is tantalisingly poised at 1-1, and India carry momentum, confidence, and history into the next encounter.
