In the fifth Test, which was delayed by the Covid incident, England defeated India by seven wickets thanks to hundreds from Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow as they maintained their comeback.
With a target of 378 to win, England scored 378-3, with Bairstow scoring 114 not out, his second century of the game after scoring 106 in the hosts’ first-innings total of 284. Former captain Root also reached 142 not out. England’s victory brought the five-match series to 2-2.
Before England’s exciting triumph over Australia at Headingley three years ago, no team had ever made more to win in the fourth innings of a Test than 359 when then-captain Ben Stokes’ superb century led them to victory.
But after England’s maiden series under a new leadership team of captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum saw them chase down ostensibly difficult targets of 277, 299, and 296 during a 3-0 whitewash of Test world champions New Zealand, that record was easily surpassed.
Bairstow, the game’s player of the match, told Sky Sports, “It’s tremendous fun right now. “All the lads have had an amazing month of Test cricket over the past month.”
Root amassed an enormous 737 runs, including four hundreds, at an exceptional average of over 105 to win the series, which began in 2021 while he served as captain of England. But he opted to honour Bairstow, a friend from their days of attending school. Root observed that the player “is striking the ball so clean, he appears really relaxed and in control out there.”
It’s wonderful fun, and I love seeing a player I’ve known since he was 12 begin to reach his full potential in this type of game. Since Stokes took over for Root as captain, England has won all four Test matches. According to the all-rounder, “378 five or six weeks ago would have been worrying, but it was good.”