England bowl India over

ENGLAND’s cricket team held their nerve to complete a tense 31 run victory over India on an enthralling fourth morning of the first Test at Edgbaston.

India – resuming on 110-5 in pursuit of 194 – were bowled out for 162 as tension mounted among an increasingly raucous crowd.

In only his second Test, Sam Curran’s performance stood out, with his bowling on the second day and batting on the third dragging England back into the game and setting the stage for a thrilling finish.

James Anderson removed Dinesh Karthik with the sixth ball of the final day before Ben Stokes produced a superb over to dismiss captain Virat Kohli for 51 and Mohammed Shami for a duck.

The all-rounder sealed victory by having Hardik Panya caught at first slip to finish with 4-40.

Stokes bowled with aggression and shrewdness but will miss the second test at Lord’s due to his court case for alleged affray.

While India came up short, their performance was a far cry from their dismal tour four years ago and bodes well for the remainder of what promises to be a hotly contested five-Test series.

England captain Joe Root said:

“It was a fantastic team performance with ups and downs, but credit has to go to the bowlers from both teams.”

India captain Virat Kohli said his first century in England “does not matter” after his side’s narrow defeat.