England defeated India in the first match of the five-match Test series at Edgbaston by 31 runs on Saturday. Chasing a minimal target of 194 runs, the Indian batting line-up got completely shattered in the first session of fourth day.
Skipper Virat Kohli remained the lone warrior in the battle which the England conquered despite failing with the bat in the second innings. With this terrific victory, the hosts now lead the 5-match rubber 1-0.
Earlier today, Kohli and Dinesh Karthik resumed the game at 110/5 and they needed 84 more to win. The duo patiently anchored the inning by the end of day three and was expected to repeat the same on Saturday. But the reality turned out to be exactly opposite.
A good length delivery from Anderson sent Karthik packing to dressing room right in the first over of the day. India were reduced to 112/6 with 82 runs were still required to win the match.
In such a situation, the Indian captain received massive support from all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Known for his dynamic temperament, Pandya played fearless cricket and helped his captain in accomplishing the mission.
Meanwhile, Kohli got his 17th Test half-century. But before he could convert it into a memorable inning, Ben Stokes shattered the only hope for India by getting his wicket. After forming a partnership of 31 runs for the 6th wicket, Kohli was out on 51.
Mohammad Shami, the next man in, created no difference to the team total and fell prey to Stokes on a 3-ball duck. Ishant Sharma showed little efforts but got removed by Adil Rashid on 11. India were still 40 runs away while Engand needed just one wicket to finish the business.
Pandya who took the charge after Kohli, fought till the end but Stoke had him in the 90th over. He ended up scoring 24 off 71.
Brief Scores:
England 287 and 180 all out in 53 overs (S Curran 63, J Bairstow 28, D Malan 20; I Sharma 5/51, R Ashwin 3/59, U Yadav 2/20).
India 1st innings: 274 and 162 (V Kohli 52 H Pandya 24; B Stokes 4/40).