England have continued their remarkable run of successful fourth-innings run chases with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow leading them to a seven-wicket victory at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
The English were set 378 to win by India which they mowed down inside 80 overs, with Root finishing on 142no and Bairstow unbeaten on 114no.
The run chase was England’s largest in Test history and is the eighth biggest successful pursuit in Test history.
It comes after England successfully chased down New Zealand on three occasions in the preceding three-Test series.
Among those chases were totals of 279-5, 299-5 and 296-3, but going beyond 350 was another step.
“There have been occasions where I might have played some unusual shots if you look at the history of Test cricket, but they’ve felt like pretty low-risk options in the moment,” Root said after the latest win.
“Hopefully we’re still heading into the unknown and there’s more to come. We’ve just got to keep trusting and believing in what we’re doing.
“It’s been an amazing four or so weeks and I feel like there’s potential there for still a lot more as well, which is very exciting.”
Root revealed that captain Ben Stokes had told them to play like “rock stars”.
“Ben wanted us to be entertainers. He’s mentioned trying to be rock stars on the field,” Root said.
“It’s about trying to have fun and really relishing every opportunity you get to showcase what you’re about and put on a show for everyone. It’s like being a kid again, it’s great.”
Stokes, who boldly admitted he had wanted India to get 450 runs ahead in the second innings to see if England could chase that down, reveled in the side’s newfound ability.
“Teams may be better than us but teams will not be braver than us that’s a quote from (England off-spinner) Jack Leach,” he said.
“The last five weeks have been an incredible turnaround. I don’t think everyone can understand what has happened here.”
