England rode unbeaten hundreds by Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow to pull off their highest successful chase, coasting to a series-levelling seven-wickets
Chasing 378 for victory, England went into the final day needing 119 runs with seven wickets in hand. Root went on to smash a masterly 142 not out, his 28th test century, forging a mammoth 269-run partnership for the unbroken fourth wicket with Bairstow.
READ: Indian cricket team drops below Pakistan in WTC points table, Penalized two points for maintaining slow over-rate
Root's elegant hundred was studded with 19 boundaries and a six. Bairstow's unbeaten 114, which included 15 fours and a six, was his second hundred of the match as England triumphed with two sessions to spare.
England's previous highest successful run chase came in 2019 when they reached a 359-run target in an Ashes test against Australia on the back of Stokes's brilliant unbeaten century. Many current and former cricketers were amazed by the way England went ahead with the chase. Check out some of the reactions below.
It was a tremendous turnaround by England who had been on the back foot after conceding a significant first-innings lead of 132. Root and Bairstow showed the kind of sustained aggression which is quickly becoming the hallmark of this England test team since Brendon McCullum took over as the head coach and Ben Stokes assumed the captaincy.
READ: Rahul Dravid opens up on India's 7-wicket loss against England in the 5th Test match, says 'bowling let us down
"This is the beauty of test cricket," India's makeshift captain Jasprit Bumrah said. "Even if you have three good days, you have to keep coming and keep up the good performance."
The five-match series against India could not be completed last year following COVID-19 cases in the India camp ahead of the final match at Old Trafford.
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