England beat India after remarkable record-breaking test match run chase
"We're here to win games of cricket, that's all we want to do," man of the match Jonny Bairstow says.
Tuesday 5 July 2022 16:26, UK
England have beaten India after a remarkable record-breaking run chase in the sides' fifth test at Edgbaston.
Set 378 to win, England's Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow saw the hosts home by seven wickets, with unbeaten stands of 142 and 114, respectively.
No England cricket side had ever hunted down more than 359, the previous record from Ben Stokes' Ashes miracle at Headingley three years ago.
And a full house of more than 23,000 were in attendance at the Birmingham ground to watch the latest unlikely victory charge of the Stokes-Brendon McCullum era - after Warwickshire followed the example of Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire by offering free entry for the final day.
Man of the match Bairstow spoke of his excitement at the brand of cricket England are now playing under Stokes.
He told Sky Sports: "It's just about having the enjoyment factor of it, not being afraid of failing, going out and playing in a way that puts the pressure back on the opposition.
"We're here to win games of cricket, that's all we want to do. You're going to lose games along the way if you play in the way in which we are, but hopefully the positive brand that we're playing is exciting for people to watch.
"It's certainly exciting to play in and we'll have a bit of craic along the way."
Former captain Joe Root told Sky Sports: "Throughout the whole summer, since that first game, we've said 'whatever they get, we'll chase it down'.
"I think Ben [Stokes, captain] said to us in the group before the toss 'we're not gonna bat first, we're gonna chase'.
"It's sort of that mentality of how we're going about things at the minute.
"Once we got that partnership going we just felt in full control."
An intrepid century stand between openers Alex Lees and Zak Crawley had made a sizeable dent in the target on Monday, before Root and Bairstow continued their magnificent form to leave the hosts 259 for three at the end of day four.
Root said: "So much credit has to go to the two lads at the top.
"The way they set the platform, the way they shifted the pressure right back on to India and smashed that new ball around on a wicket that was doing a bit was incredible batting."
It is the ninth highest successful run chase in Test match history by any team, with the West Indies' 418 against Australia in 2003 the overall record.
Stokes said: "When you have clarity it makes totals like that a lot easier.
"378 five, six weeks ago would have been... but today it was good. Jonny and Rooty are going to get the plaudits and rightly so but in a run chase what the openers did was phenomenal and pumped the momentum back to us, amazing, fastest ever opening stand by England openers."
Record-breaking innings was made to look easy
Breaking records should be about straining every sinew to achieve something that had seemed impossible.
It should be about nail-biting drama when the achievement hangs in the balance.
This extraordinary final innings was none of that - they made it look easy.
Such is the confidence of England's batters, they cruised to victory against India - one of the world's great test sides.
New captain Ben Stokes has led England out of the post-Ashes gloom of last winter into a joyous summer where anything seems possible, particularly when the hitman Jonny Bairstow is out there swinging his bat.