Does Birmingham Hold Good Memories for India Against England?
The clashes between India and England at Birmingham have always been anticipated by the fans. After losing the first match of the series by 5 wickets, can Shubman Gill and his team secure a win in this match to level the score?
The India tour of England had a disheartening start, as the team suffered a loss by 5 wickets in the first match at Headingley. Although the batsmen did well, the bowlers and fielders were not able to capitalise on the opportunities, as India lost a match which was almost in their hands.
But now Shubman Gill will be looking forward to making a comeback in the 2nd Test, which will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham. This stadium doesn’t hold good memories for the Indian team and its fans, as India have never won a Test against England played at Edgbaston.
Out of the eight Test matches played here, India has lost seven of them, and only one of them ended in a draw, which also came in 1986. The main question now remains whether Shubman Gill and the team will be able to create history by defeating England for the very first time in Birmingham. Till then, let’s take a look at the previous encounters between India and England at Birmingham.
India Tour of England 2021-22: 5th Test
Led by Captain Kohli, for the very first time in almost a decade, the Indian team stood with the lead of 2-1, in the India tour of England 2021-22. With four matches being played, the last game was postponed and scheduled to be played later. Amidst this, there were issues with the team’s captaincy, and when the tour resumed in July 2022, Bumrah took charge for this game.
| India vs England, 5th Test, Birmingham | |
|---|---|
| India: 416 (84.5 Overs) | England: 284 (61.3 Overs) |
| Rishabh Pant: 146 (111) | Jonny Bairstow: 106 (140) |
| James Anderson: 5/60 | Mohammed Siraj: 4/66 |
| India: 245 (81.5 Overs) | England: 378/3 (76.4 Overs) |
| Cheteshwar Pujara: 66 (168) | Joe Root: 142 (173) |
| Ben Stokes: 4/33 | Jasprit Bumrah: 2/74 |
| England Won by 7 Wickets | |
India had a 2-1 lead, which meant that even a draw would allow India to win the series against England after their previous win in 2007. But this match was being played in Birmingham. India were sent to bat first in this game and posted 416 runs in the first innings, with centuries from Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja.
James Anderson came as the star bowler for England in the first innings, taking a five-wicket haul. England gave its best shot to lower India’s lead but eventually got out at the score of 284, where Bairstow scored 106. Mohammed Siraj shone with the ball, taking 4 wickets for the team, as Bumrah and Shami took 3 and 2 each.
In the third innings, India had a lead of 132 runs already, and looked all set to give them a big target. However, things didn’t go their way, as the team got all out at the score of 245. Rishabh Pant (57) and Cheteshwar Pujara (66) were the key performers as no other batsmen were even able to cross the 30-run mark. The target posted for England was 378, and it may seem challenging to achieve.
England had a great start with Alex Lees and Zak Crawley, but the team lost three consecutive wickets, which put them down to 109 for 3. At this phase, when fans thought India had won the match, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root had an unbeaten stand to win the match by 7 wickets. Root scored 142 runs while Bairstow scored 114.
India Tour of England 2018: 1st Test
The first Test of the India tour of England 2018 was also being played at Birmingham, where for the first time, Captain Kohli led the team in England. England decided to bat first in this game, as they got all out at the score of 287, with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow scoring half-centuries. Ashwin and Shami were able to take 4 and 3 wickets each.
| India vs England, 1st Test, Birmingham | |
|---|---|
| England: 287 (89.4 Overs) | India: 274 (76 Overs) |
| Joe Root: 80 (156) | Virat Kohli: 149 (225) |
| Ravichandran Ashwin: 4/62 | Sam Curran: 4/74 |
| England: 180 (53 Overs) | India: 162 (54.2 Overs) |
| Sam Curran: 63 (65) | Virat Kohli: 51 (93) |
| Ishant Sharma: 5/51 | Ben Stokes: 4/40 |
| England Won by 31 Runs | |
When India came out to bat, it seemed like Virat Kohli was the lone warrior, as the team got all out at the score of 274, just 13 runs behind England’s total. In this, Virat Kohli smashed 149 runs alone, while from England, Sam Curran was able to take 4 wickets.
Coming with a lead of 13 runs, England once again fell into the hands of Indian bowlers. This time, the team got all out at the score of 180, and only Sam Curran was able to score 63. For India, Ashwin took 3 wickets, Umesh Yadav took 2, and Ishant Sharma dominated with the ball, taking a five-wicket haul.
India now had the target of 194 runs to chase down in the fourth innings and register its first win in Birmingham. But this time also, the team got all out at the score of 162, falling short by 31 runs of the target. Captain Kohli scored 51 runs, but didn’t get the required support from the other batsmen. Ben Stokes dominated with the ball, as he took 4 wickets and conceded just 40 runs.
India Tour of England 2011: 3rd Test
After England had won the first two tests against India, for the third Test, both teams went to Edgbaston. Since England had won the toss, they decided to field first, and the challenges started for India. The team got all out at the score of 224 runs in the first innings, where only MS Dhoni was able to score a half-century.
| India vs England, 3rd Test, Birmingham | |
|---|---|
| India: 224 (62.2 Overs) | England: 710/7d (188.1 Overs) |
| MS Dhoni: 77 (96) | Alastair Cook: 294 (545) |
| Tim Bresnan: 4/62 | Amit Mishra: 3/150 |
| India: 244 (55.3 Overs) | |
| MS Dhoni: 74* (79) | |
| James Anderson: 4/85 | |
| England Won by an Innings and 242 Runs | |
With the ball, Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan took 4 wickets each, dominating the Indian batsmen. England came down to bat in the second innings, and it seemed like some sort of massive destruction was coming for the Indian bowlers. The team had an opening partnership of 186, as Strauss scored 87.
But it didn’t end there, as Alastair Cook stood at the crease and had stable partnerships with the other players. Along with Eoin Morgan, the duo made a 222-run stand for the 4th wicket, as England declared at the score of 710/7. Alastair Cook was impressive, as he scored 294 runs, while Amit Mishra took 3 wickets.
India had a long way to score and end England’s massive lead. But the team fell down at the score of 244, and this time also it was MS Dhoni, who scored 74 runs and remained not out. For England, James Anderson took 4 wickets, and helped the team to win by an innings and 242 runs.
India Tour of England 1996: 1st Test
Heading back to almost two decades, India and England clashed against each other in a three-match Test series. The first match of the same was being played in Birmingham, and India decided to bat first. India scored 214 runs in the first innings, where Javagal Srinath smashed a half-century. Dominic Cork from England took 4 wickets.
| India vs England, 1st Test, Birmingham | |
|---|---|
| India: 214 (69.1 Overs) | England: 313 (90.2 Overs) |
| Javagal Srinath: 52 (65) | Nasser Hussain: 128 (227) |
| Dominic Cork: 4/61 | Venkatesh Prasad: 4/71 |
| India: 219 (70.4 Overs) | England: 121/2 (33.5 Overs) |
| Sachin Tendulkar: 122 (177) | Mike Atherton: 53* (100) |
| Chris Lewis: 5/72 | Venkatesh Prasad: 2/50 |
| England Won by 8 Wickets | |
England responded with 313 runs in the second innings, giving a massive lead to India. This included a century by Nasser Hussain, and Venkatesh Prasad and Javagal Srinath took 4 wickets each for India.
India tried its best to give a big target in the third innings but got all out at the score of 219. Sachin Tendulkar smashed 122 runs but didn’t receive support from the other end. Chris Lewis from England took 5 wickets in this innings.
Further, England chased the target of 121 runs with ease, as Mike Atherton scored 53 runs to help the team win. Venkatesh Prasad took 2 wickets for India, but it was not enough to help the team win. As a result, England won the match by 8 wickets.
India Tour of England 1986: 3rd Test
India had already won the series against England by winning the first two Tests. For the last, the teams clashed against each other at Birmingham, where England won the toss and selected to bat first. The team scored 390 runs, with Mike Gatting scoring 183, as Chetan Sharma took 4 wickets for India.
| India vs England, 3rd Test, Birmingham | |
|---|---|
| England: 390 (116.3 Overs) | India: 390 (139.5 Overs) |
| Mike Gatting: 183* (294) | Mohinder Amarnath: 79 (237) |
| Chetan Sharma: 4/130 | Neil Foster: 3/93 |
| England: 235 (94 Overs) | India: 174/5 (78 Overs) |
| Graham Gooch: 40 (43) | Sunil Gavaskar: 54 (135) |
| Chetan Sharma: 6/58 | Phil Edmonds: 4/31 |
| Match Drawn | |
India also finished its first innings at the score of 390, powered by half-centuries from Mohinder Amarnath, Azharuddin, and other players. From England, Neil Foster took 3 wickets, and now the scores were level.
England were restricted to a score of just 235 runs in the third innings, as Chetan Sharma again dominated with his bowling skills, taking 6 wickets. India were able to score 174 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, but the match came to an end, resulting in a draw.
With India not winning any of its matches against England in Birmingham, will the team be able to break the jinx in the second match of the England tour 2025?
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