Team India is gearing up to face England in the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series on Wednesday, July 2, at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham. England currently holds a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after clinching the opening Test at Headingley by five wickets. Interestingly, Edgbaston was the venue for the rescheduled fifth Test of India’s last tour of England, which originally was supposed to take place in Manchester in September 2021 but was postponed due to COVID-19. That Test was eventually held between July 1 and 5, 2022.

In the rescheduled match, England captain Ben Stokes chose to chase the runs after winning the toss. India lost five wickets for just 98 runs, leading to a successful fightback spearheaded by Rishabh Pant, whose explosive 146 came off just 111 balls. Ravindra Jadeja scored 104, just as explosively, and together they shared 222 runs for the sixth wicket, which propelled India to 416 in their first innings. James Anderson took five wickets for England as India batted first.

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Following India's first innings, England's first innings did not go based on their fourth innings target and fell prey to India's bowlers, being limited to 284 runs, where India took a first innings lead of 132 runs. Mohammed Siraj was the top performer with the ball for India with magnificent bowling figures of 4/66, whilst Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami claimed 3 and 2 wickets respectively for their team. 

England chased comfortably at the end

In the second innings, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant scored half-centuries, helping the team reach 245 before being bowled out. Ben Stokes showcased his bowling prowess, taking four wickets for the hosts and keeping India within reach. England faced a daunting target of 378 runs but got off to a blazing start thanks to openers Alex Lees and Zak Crawley, who put on a 107-run stand. India fought back, reducing England to 109/3, giving themselves a chance to seal the series. However, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow dashed those hopes with a record-breaking unbeaten 269-run partnership. Root remained unbeaten on 142 while Bairstow scored 114*, leading England to a memorable seven-wicket win and leveling the 2021–22 series 2-2.

As India prepares to return to Edgbaston for the second Test of the current series, their track record at the venue does not inspire confidence. The Indian team has played eight Test matches at Edgbaston, losing seven of them. The only match that didn’t end in defeat was a draw back in 1986. With history not on their side, India will look to break the jinx and bounce back strong to level the series.