Why Edgbaston is England’s unbeaten fortress against India – 8 Tests, 1 Draw and Zero Losses.
India will have to battle history at Edgbaston in the second Test as they have lost seven Tests out of eight played with one drawn game there.
After a drubbing at the hands of England at Leeds, they now face the hosts in the second Test of the series at Edgbaston, a venue known to be England’s fortress. India lost the first Test comprehensively by five wickets despite putting up a mammoth 371-run target for the hosts in the final innings.
So why is Edgbaston considered England’s fortress and why will it be a litmus test for the Shubman Gill-led India team? We will find it out here.
For starters, historically, England tend to win more than they lose at this venue. Since their first match against Australia in 1902, England has played 55 more Tests here, winning 30 of them.
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Team records at Edgbaston
The answer to why it would be an uphill task for India in the second Test is the above-mentioned table. India played their maiden Test here during the 1967 tour and lost comprehensively by 132 runs. From then on, it has been one-way traffic when it comes to England-India Test clashes at Edgbaston.
England vs India results at Edgbaston
From the above table, we can deduce one thing – India have been mostly outplayed at Edgbaston. The only instance probably India gave some fight was in the 2018 Test match where they lost marginally by 31 runs. This was due to a spectacle of a batting display by then India skipper Virat Kohli who made scores of 149 & 51 in the Test match. However, this was overshadowed by Sam Curran’s all-round show for England (87 runs and 5 wickets).
The most recent game between the two sides at the venue was during India’s 2021/22 tour to the country. This game saw England chasing 378, their highest ever successful chase in Test history. Jonny Bairstow’s twin tons and Joe Root’s 142* in the chase negated India’s massive 132-run first innings lead.
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What about the other records at this venue?
- The average first innings total at this venue is 310.85 and it goes up to 322.05 when it comes to the second innings. As expected, it dips to 244.16 in the third and further down to 161.26 in the final innings of a Test match.
- The average runs per wicket for the first innings is 32.90 and batting second it raises to 34.02.
- In the 56 Test matches played here, the team batting first has won 18 times and the chasing teams have trumped 23 times
- The highest individual score at this venue was posted by Alastair Cook, who made 294 versus India in 2011
- Similarly, Wilfred Rhodes’ 7/17 against Australia in 1902 remains the best spell and for the match, Fred Trueman’s figures of 12/119 stands at the top
- Most aggregate runs by a batter at Edgbaston is 920 by England’s Joe Root. The former skipper averages 70.76 in 16 innings, scoring three centuries
- Virat Kohli’s tally of 231 in four innings is the highest for a India batter and he is followed by Rishabh Pant who has 203 runs in two innings at this venue
- Among the bowlers, James Anderson has 52 wickets in 14 Test, the most by any in Test history at Birmingham
- The highest team total of 710/7 dec was achieved by England at Edgbaston in the 2011 Test match against India and South Africa’s 30 all-out against England in 1924 is the lowest
India’s chances of breaching yet another fortress
At this point, given the form of India bowlers, their chances of win over England is minimal. This is given India’s recent track record in Test cricket and the fact they are in a transition phase. On the top of it, India would be without their premier pacer, Jasprit Bumrah which would further dent their chances of squaring the series 1-1.
Though we can’t underestimate India team, it is going to be a tough assignment for them in this contest. They need to overcome a strong English team that is bolstered by the return of Jofra Archer.
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