England began the second Test on the heels of a comfortable victory in the first of the five-match series against India. They defeated the visiting Indian squad by five wickets in the first encounter at Headingley, but at Edgbaston, the Shubman Gill-led team appears to have the upper hand. Notably, England won the toss and asked India to bat first in Birmingham, a choice that could backfire for the hosts.
India began the innings with KL Rahul being dismissed early, but Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a fantastic 87, followed by Shubman Gill’s amazing 269, and Ravindra Jadeja also contributed a magnificent 89 to finish with a total of 587. In response, England had a disastrous start despite the absence of top pacer Jasprit Bumrah from India’s pace attack.
Akash Deep replaced Bumrah and made an immediate effect in the match, sending the in-form Ben Duckett back to the pavilion as the English opener left without disturbing the scorers. Ollie Pope edged a fullish delivery to Karun Nair on the very next ball, as Akash Deep hit twice in a row to give India an early advantage. Mohammed Siraj stepped on to bowl the eighth over and effected Zak Crawley’s departure, putting England in deeper danger.
England then attempted to steady the ship, with Harry Brook playing some counterattacking strokes in the final session of the second day. Joe Root also took care of his wicket, ensuring there were no more difficulties until Stumps. England have already scored 77 for the loss of three wickets and trail by 510 runs, and it is possible that the Indians will force a follow-on for the Three Lions if they can finish things up fast.
But how many runs does England need to avoid the follow-on?
Follow-ons are activated only when the team batting second scores at least 200 runs less than the team batting first. So, in the present second Test, England would need to score at least 387 runs to avoid a follow-on from India. Of these, 77 have already been scored, and an additional 310 runs are required to avoid an inning loss.
Both batters in the crease have enough experience to get the team out of difficulty. However, the pitch has aged a few days, making batting more difficult than it was on the first two days of the contest. Spinners may also play a role, and India has veteran Ravindra Jadeja and in-form Washington Sundar to offer, in addition to a strong pace battery.
Day 3 is likely to be critical for both teams, as it will determine the fate of the game and provide insight into whether the game will end in a draw or whether either team will be able to pull out a win in this highly anticipated contest.
