England rewrite the way in Test cricket with record win

Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow have shredded India with unbeaten centuries as England rewrote history by winning their series-deciding Test by seven wickets on the last day at Edgbaston.

England cruised to 378 -- 3 half an hour before lunch with just the latest blockbuster chase of the summer, as it needed 119 more runs to register its highest successful run chase of 378 in Test cricket.

Captain Ben Stokes said they were trying to rewrite the way in which Test cricket is played in England.

We want to give new life to Test cricket, and the support we've had has been incredible. Root crafted his fifth Test hundred of the year to be 142 not out while Bairstow's purple patch continued as he reached 114 not out his second Test century and fourth in his last five innings.

India went into the Test leading 2 -- 1 and on course for its first series win in England in 15 years. India conceded its most runs in the fourth innings of a loss, and the series was drawn.

England pulled off a fourth straight successful run chase after New Zealand were swept 3 -- 0 last month under the new management of Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.

Root and Bairstow came together soon after tea on Monday when England lost three wickets in the space of 16 deliveries. The Yorkshiremen commanded India's pace threat of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj by combining in a majestic 269 run stand at more than 5 runs per over.

Bairstow said of his association with Root, just two lads from Yorkshire, who have grown up playing together from academy to test matches.

They credited the platform they received from the opening century stand between Alex Lees and Zak Crawley.

Root and Bairstow resumed on Tuesday at 3 -- 259, both of whom were in the 70 s.

They negated the reverse swing of the Indian quicks with some authoritative drives on both sides of the pitch. Root raised his hundred with a boundary to third man off Siraj and Bairstow followed his 106 in the first innings with another hundred after he went for a sharp single.

Bairstow pounded Siraj for three consecutive boundaries, as both batters combined for 34 fours and a six each. Bairstow, who dropped twice on Monday, hit 114 from 145 balls. Root was 142 from 173 -- both had a staggering strike rate of around 80.

Root said that the feeling in the dressing room is whatever you get, we're going to take it on.

It is hard to put pressure on you when you're batting at 4.5 an over. Siraj was sacked for 0 98 off his 15 overs, while Shardul Thakur went for 0 - 65 off his 11 overs. Bumrah was the sole wicket-taker in the second innings.

India had a 132 run first innings lead. England stormed back on the fourth morning when it claimed the last seven India wickets for 170 runs to limit the visitors to an overall lead of 377. The target of 378 — the ninth highest in Test history if successful — looked unlikely until England started batting.

England kept on fighting and played better than us in the second innings, Bumrah said, after leading India in the absence of the virus-affected Rohit Sharma.