Welcome to Hell: India must change miserable Edgbaston narrative to square England series

India must change miserable Edgbaston narrative to square England series (BCCI Photo)

As India look to bounce back from the five-wicket defeat at Headingley – a match they bossed for two-thirds of its duration – they couldn’t have chosen a worse venue than Edgbaston for the second Test. Years ago, fans of Turkish football club Galatasaray used to welcome visiting teams and supporters with a huge banner at their old Ali Sami Yen Stadium. It said: "Welcome to Hell".

For Indian cricket, Edgbaston has been their Ali Sami Yen, a ground where they have lost seven of eight Test matches played, three of them being thrashings by an innings and plenty. The last encounter, in July 2022, looked like it would break the streak, with India setting an imposing target of 378. But after England had slipped to 109-3, the Yorkshire duo of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow breezed past the target even before the second new ball was taken.

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That match was also the only time India have crossed 400 in an innings at Edgbaston. Starting with a dismal 92 all out the first time they played in Birmingham in 1967, India have failed to cross 250 in nine of 15 completed innings there. The crowd in the Hollies Stand can sometimes be intimidating for visiting sides, but India have mostly been undone by the batters’ inability to cope with swing and seam.

Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant will have good memories of their centuries in 2022, with Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar being the only other Indian batters to have reached three figures at Edgbaston. For England, Joe Root has made 267 runs in four innings against India there, including that match-winning 142 not-out three years ago.

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With the ball, India will be especially wary of Ben Stokes, England captain and talisman. In two Tests (2018 and 2022), Stokes has taken 11 wickets at an average of 17.54. They should also expect a much-improved display from Chris Woakes. England’s senior seamer was hugely disappointing at Headingley, but will be a different proposition on his home ground. It’s easy to forget that the 36-year-old Woakes has even more impressive figures than James Anderson in home Tests, having taken 138 of his 182 wickets in England.

This India team won’t let history bother them too much though. This century, they have beaten Australia in Perth and Brisbane, South Africa in Johannesburg and Durban and England at Trent Bridge. They typically play better when written off. At least, that’s what Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir will be hoping for come July 2.