'Two lads from Yorkshire' script England's record chase at Edgbaston

BIRMINGHAM, England :Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow smashed unbeaten hundreds to pull off England's record chase of 378 against India for a series-levelling seven-wicket victory on Tuesday in the re-arranged fifth test.

The hosts went into the final day at Edgbaston needing 119 while India, who held a 2-1 lead going into the contest, needed seven wickets.

Overnight batsmen Root and Bairstow sealed victory in the first session, exhibiting an attacking brand of cricket which is quickly becoming the hallmark of the test team under new coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.

India's faint victory hopes hinged on getting early breakthroughs but their seamers could neither separate the Yorkshire duo nor could they stem the boundary flow.

Root was so much at home on a pitch with variable bounce that he treated Shardul Thakur like a spinner - stepping out against the seam bowler and playing a reverse-scoop against him that went for a six.

Root's unbeaten 142, his 28th test hundred, also included 19 boundaries.

Bairstow brought up his second hundred of the match with a tight single before celebrating it with three consecutive boundaries off Mohammed Siraj.

YORKSHIRE LADS

"Just two lads from Yorkshire, grown up playing together from academy to test matches, it's pretty special," Bairstow, adjudged man-of-the-match for his fourth hundred in five innings, said of his epic unbroken stand of 269 with Root.

England's previous highest successful run chase came in 2019 when they reached a 359-run target in an Ashes test against Australia.

Tuesday's victory follows England's home win against New Zealand when they chased down targets of 277, 299 and 296 to blank the world champions 3-0.

Stokes said the sustained aggression they displayed was part