Summary

  • Close: Eng 259-3 (Root 76*, Bairstow 72*) - need 119 more to win

  • Root & Bairstow reach 150 stand off 197 balls

  • Bairstow dropped on 14 by Vihari and on 39 by Pant

  • England need 378 runs to win and draw the series

  • Use audio icon at top of the page to listen to BBC Test Match Special commentary

  • Today at the Test highlights on BBC Four & iPlayer at 19:00 BST

  1. Postpublished at 19:10 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    Right, time for us to call it a day.

    I'll leave you with Stephan Shemilt's report from Edgbaston...

    The scorecard is here, while you'll be able to download a Test Match Special podcast in the next couple of hours.

    Don't forget Today at the Test is on BBC Four or available via the play icon at the top of this page.

    We'll see you at 10:00 BST tomorrow for day five. Will England complete their record run chase and draw the series? I, for one, can't wait to find out.

  2. Postpublished at 19:09 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    Deep Dasgupta
    Former India wicketkeeper on BBC Test Match Special

    The plan is very simple for India tomorrow: attack. The mindset or the game-plan that they had today was quite defensive and negative in nature. That is not what India generally do.

    India's strength, especially away from home, has been their bowling. You can't take things away from your strength and that is what happened today with defensive lines, defensive fields.

    From here, what they'll be saying is, 'we've got nothing to lose. We need seven wickets, let's give it a try.' It doesn't matter if it finishes in the first hour or if it goes until an hour after lunch.

  3. 'England will pull it off with relative ease'published at 19:07 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    Mark Ramprakash
    Former England batter on BBC Test Match Special

    I think England are going to pull it off with relative ease. Confidence couldn't have been higher in an England dressing room. I think one of Bairstow or Root will be there till the end. India need early wickets.

  4. Postpublished at 19:05 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    I asked you just after the close if you think England will win or lose this game.

    There are 12,800 of you who think England will win, with just over 500 thinking they won't.

    In other words 96% of you think England will win this Test.

    The positivity!

    BBC Sport votes for England v India fifth Test winnerImage source, BBC Sport
  5. get involved

    Get Involvedpublished at 19:03 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    #bbccricket

    Paul Roberts: Well done Lees and Crawley. Much better balance between attack and defending with intent. There’s no room for anything else in Baz Cricket. The two Yorkies of course are playing in a different sphere altogether.

  6. Postpublished at 19:01 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    Time for Today at the Test.

    Switch to BBC Four, press the play icon at the top of the page or head here on BBC iPlayer.

    There is LOTS to enjoy.

  7. 'Stokes got us back in the game'published at 19:00 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    More from England batter Alex Lees on Sky Sports: "I think during this summer the boys have bowled so well as a unit and in particular someone like Matthew Potts hasn't had the rewards he could've. But we came with the mindset of bowling them out this morning and we knew we would get them out for something we could chase.

    "There's just always a willingness to keep taking wickets. Sometimes in periods of play where the opposition might be on the front foot, you can get a bit passive, but with Bazball, as you call it, it's about trying to find the aggressive option to make sure we are in control.

    "Plans don't always come off but we knew that the short ball plan was what we wanted to go with this morning. Yes, Bumrah got away with a few in the first innings but we knew we could execute it and target them.

    "We know Ben Stokes has got to manage his knee problem and I think he likes testing his bowlers to be honest! He is obviously a matchwinner with bat and ball and he got us back in the game today."

  8. Postpublished at 18:59 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    Mark Ramprakash
    Former England batter on BBC Test Match Special

    India got a little confused. To Bairstow, they looked to bowl a little bit straight. But to Joe Root, they could have perhaps moved their line towards off-stump.

    India didn't utilise the pressure well enough. The series was on the line and they pushed the fielders back too quickly. England were able to get singles too easily.

  9. Postpublished at 18:57 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    I mentioned Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. Here they are.

    Root is unbeaten on 76, while Bairstow has 72.

  10. Postpublished at 18:55 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    Mark Ramprakash
    Former England batter on BBC Test Match Special

    Glad to be talking about Crawley because he's been the topic of discussion for a while. He was very still at the crease today and played it very late.

    His bat came down on middle and off when he played straight. In the winter, he was standing outside off stump and when he played straight, his bat came down on almost fifth stump. There's definitely been a change in technique and mindset. He looked really really good today and it was convincing. He played with authority.

    Finally we've seen him adapt his game. It looked really convincing against two top class bowlers.

    The ball did not seam or swing. Crawley is a wonderful strokeplayer when the pitch is dry and flat.

  11. 'I just wanted to give it a good whack'published at 18:54 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    England batter Alex Lees on Sky Sports, talking about his opening partnership with Zak Crawley: "I just wanted to give it a good whack to be honest with you! There's a couple of changes I've made to my game and I think the fact I made my Test debut a bit later in my career, and the West Indies tour, has given me a chance to learn how I wanted to play and I know I want to play more aggressively now.

    "The numbers aren't quite where I'd want them to be, I want to make hundreds, but I learned a lot from that tour and I've had the backing too from Ben and Baz which has accelerated that.

    "I am happy with how I'm playing but I guess I just need to stop getting run out!

    "There's no great science to it, I just wanted to hit the ball where the fielders weren't and put pressure back on the bowlers.

    "We are in an unbelievable position. Joe doesn't stop scoring runs and Jonny is in the form of his life. I'm backing every batter down to number 11 to get us those runs."

  12. Postpublished at 18:52 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    Deep Dasgupta
    Former India wicketkeeper on BBC Test Match Special

    Obviously the start England's openers made gives a lot of confidence to the other players. A lot of us were thinking this chase would be down to Bairstow, Root and Stokes. But then when you see Lees and Crawley give you a start like that you go, 'Wow'!

    I might be overanalysing this but England took the heavy roller and maybe the whole thing was planned, thinking the ball might not do a lot - which it didn't - and then take advantage.

    Quite possibly they spoke about it and thought about it because otherwise there is no reason you'd take a heavy roller on day four.

  13. Postpublished at 18:51 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    England then lost three wickets for two runs in two-and-a-half overs and that could have unsettled and basically ended the chase, but Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root stood up and guided England to close with an unbroken 150-run stand.

    Here are those three wickets.

  14. Postpublished at 18:49 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    The platform was laid for England potentially making their highest-ever Test chase in 378 by a century-opening stand between Alex Lees and Zak Crawley.

    They did it in 19.3 overs, which made it the fastest ever century-opening stand for England.

  15. 'It seems like England's game to lose'published at 18:48 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    Deep Dasgupta
    Former India wicketkeeper on BBC Test Match Special

    India will be extremely disappointed. At the start of the day, India were well ahead in this Test match and now it seems like it is England's game to lose.

    The whole thing happened when those wickets fell this morning, some of them were unnecessary shots and India threw away their advantage.

    Bowling wise they were taken aback by the start. You've got to give a lot of credit to Alex Lees, the way he started and put India on the back foot.

    A century partnership with Zak Crawley at five-an-over and you're talking about Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, two of the top bowlers in the world.

  16. Postpublished at 18:45 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    England's short-ball tactics frustrated us all either side of lunch, but they did reap dividends from them, particularly Ben Stokes.

    It left England needing 378 to win, which I imagine is a fair few less than India had in their mind at the start of the day.

  17. Postpublished at 18:43 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    Mark Ramprakash
    Former England batter on BBC Test Match Special

    Certain things came together, one is England's mindset and the other is the pitch. There was some uneven bounce yesterday but today the pitch has stayed true. It has gotten drier and flatter. What it is doing is that it is proving that batting last is not fraught with the same danger it was traditionally. India's fields were spread and that allowed Bairstow and Root to almost defend and get easy singles. That allowed them to build a big partnership.

  18. Postpublished at 18:42 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    India will be ruing the way they batted today.

    They started the day with a lead of 257, but lost three soft wickets in the morning session.

  19. 'A day to savour'published at 18:39 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    Jonathan Agnew
    BBC cricket correspondent on Test Match Special

    What a beautiful early evening it is, we're looking out at a sun-drenched Edgbaston with a happy crowd making their way out. That really has been a day to savour. Remarkable!

  20. Postpublished at 18:38 British Summer Time 4 July 2022

    The unbroken partnership of 150 between Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow has put England in control of this chase.

    Fancy watching how they've gone about it?

    Enjoy.