England Outplay India To Win Edgbaston Cliffhanger By 31 Runs
India captain Virat Kohli set his sights on team success rather than personal glory after his hundred in the first Test against England was overshadowed by the tourists' 31-run defeat.
England skipper Joe Root won the toss and opted to bat in the first Test at Edgbaston. (All Images Courtesy: Reuters)
Joe Root (80 runs off 156 balls, 9x4s) scored his 41st Test half-century, but the English innings completely got derailed after his dismissal.
Jonny Bairstow (70 off 88 balls, 9x4s) brought up his 18th Test half-century off 72 balls.
Ravichandran Ashwin produced one of his most impactful performance outside the sub-continent as India reduced England to 285/9 on the opening day.
India quickly wrapped up the English innings on 287, who lost their last seven wickets for a mere 71 runs.
Virat Kohli took a giant stride towards exorcising the ghosts of 2014 with a masterful century as he singlehandedly pulled India out of the woods on an eventful second day.
Kohli's 149 enabled the visitors to reach 274 thereby bringing down the first innings deficit to only 13 runs.
Sam Curran struck his maiden Test fifty, that came off just his second match in the longest format of the game, after England collapsed to 87/7 in their second innings.
Ishant Sharma recorded his 8th five-wicket haul, including three wickets in an over, to leave India with a target of 194 to win with more than two days' play left.
England pace battery, led by Stuart Broad, got rid of half of the Indian batting line-up under favourable overcast conditions.
India were 110/5 in their second innings, needing a further 84 runs to reach their victory target of 194, at stumps on the third day.
Resuming on overnight 110 for five, India folded up for 162 in 54.2 overs despite Kohli's combative 51 off 93 balls and Hardik Pandya's 31.
Ben Stokes took three wickets on Saturday, including the prized scalp of Kohli, as England won the first Test by 31 runs in a thrilling finish at Edgbaston.
