Superstars give it their all in a vibrant contest between bat and ball
A total of 64,000 fans saw a riveting match – I hope more will be encouraged to attend the rest of series
This week has been a reminder that we have to do everything we can to save Test cricket and ensure it stays relevant. We have seen an enthralling contest between bat and ball in a match that felt like it really mattered, with superstar players giving everything. Too often we have meaningless, bilateral series, which is why the Test championship league is a good idea.
No game builds up to a great finish like Test cricket, so let us make sure it remains the No1 form of the game by producing weeks like this more regularly.
For a start, the Dukes ball is terrific for Test cricket, as it keeps the bowlers interested throughout the game.
The groundsman at Edgbaston has also shown his colleagues the way forward by producing a pitch that held the balance between bat and ball and gave everyone a chance.
Over the course of three days 64,000 fans came to Edgbaston. That is a good number – let us not be negative and say there were only 17,000 here on the first day. Over three days 64,000 is a good total, so let us take pride in Test cricket. I hope it has encouraged more to come along and watch the rest of the series.
The story of this game was riveting. Normally at a Test match there are passages of play when you drift off. Not this one. You could not take your eyes off it for a minute.
We also saw that it rewarded good, old-fashioned cricket. I used to think there would be a new, more positive way to play Test cricket. But the methods have not changed.
It is not about crash, bang wallop. It is about playing the right way, which is how Virat Kohli batted at Edgbaston. He wore down James Anderson. As much as Jimmy will say he had him on 21 when he was dropped at slip, it does not matter.
Kohli left the ball, defended well, used his feet and made sure his pads were outside the line of off stump to negate lbw. It was a great hundred.
Sam Curran did the same in a match-turning innings of 63. He showed a huge amount of mental strength and played a proper Test innings.
He gave himself a chance by defending well to start with and then showed his cricket brain and nous to know when to play the right shots. No coach can teach you that. It is natural. He did it instinctively.
He danced down and hit Ravichandran Ashwin over the top for six and Ishant Sharma for six. That was him knowing his game. It does not matter whether you are 20 or 30, it is about having that natural instinct for Test cricket.
Ben Stokes will miss the next Test and I would bring in either Chris Woakes or Moeen Ali, depending on the balance of the team – if you need two spinners – and the pitch conditions.
I would not drop Dawid Malan. I never like to see anyone dropped at the start of a series after only one game. If you have picked him for the start of a five-match series then what has changed after just one match?
England have won a tight game, and that always brings a team together. If you lose these, then everyone gets questioned, but when you win, stick with the same unit.
I think yesterday was so important for Joe Root as the England captain. He is a youngish captain, having been in the job for only a year, and I am not sure how he would have come back from losing a tight match that his team dominated at times.
For him to get over the line and also make some good tactical calls, such as bringing on Adil Rashid to dismiss Sharma and the way he kept his fielders out for Kohli, was great for England and for Joe.
I was around the commentary box and I could hear people urging him to bring the field in for Kohli. Nonsense. You want as many balls as possible at the other, weaker batsmen when you are trying to bowl a team out. Surely you would rather bowl at Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik and Sharma than Kohli?
Now Root has to say to the team: “We can be so much better.” England are the No5 team in the world because of what they did this week by letting India back in the game twice.
Better teams do not gift the opposition chances. Do not forget that England dropped catches and were 87 for seven in the second innings. They should be better than that but the positive is they won a tight game when there are so many areas they can improve.
Realistically they were only bowling to one player this week. The problem for India is can the rest of their batting line-up find form and confidence? If they do it will be a close series because I feel India’s bowling attack can take 20 wickets. Kohli knows he can bowl England out in these conditions; the question is can his team get the runs on the board?
No game builds to a great finish like Test cricket, so let’s make sure it remains the No 1 form