Brendon McCullum said the partnership between Jamie Smith and Harry Brook brought balance to the team. England’s head coach, Brendon McCullum, admitted that choosing to bowl first after winning the toss in the second Test against India at Edgbaston was a mistake. The Shubman Gill-led Indian team went on to dominate, defeating the hosts by 336 runs to claim their first-ever Test victory at that ground and level the series 1-1.
After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, India scored a massive 587 runs, powered by Shubman Gill’s 269 and fifties from Ravindra Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Mohammed Siraj took 6 wickets for 70 runs, while Akash Deep picked up four wickets as England replied with 407. Harry Brook (158) and Jamie Smith (184) put on a crucial 303-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
In the second innings, Shubman Gill scored 161, with KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja all contributing fifties as India declared at 427 for 6. Needing 608 runs to win, England collapsed for 271, with Jamie Smith scoring 88. Akash Deep was the standout bowler, taking 6 wickets for 99 runs in the second innings and finishing with match figures of 10 for 187.
“Did we miss a chance there?” — Brendon McCullum on England’s Toss Decision
McCullum acknowledged the “missed opportunity” at the toss but called it a “fair” mistake given the conditions they anticipated.
“As the game progressed, we probably looked back at that toss and wondered, ‘Did we miss a chance there?’ And I think that’s a fair assessment. We didn’t expect the wicket to behave the way it did, so we got that decision slightly wrong. It was only the brilliant partnership between Jamie Smith and Harry Brook that kept us competitive throughout the five days,” Brendon McCullum told the Daily Mail.
While praising Smith and Brook for their resilience, Brendon McCullum admitted the lost opportunity might have cost them the game.
“That’s something we need to review. We’re flexible with our plans, but we thought the pitch would become easier to bat on as the match went on. However, as we saw, that didn’t happen,” he added.
With the series now tied 1-1, the upcoming Test at Lord’s starting July 10 promises to be a crucial battle. Both Ben Stokes and Shubman Gill will be eager to secure a win in the third game and gain an early advantage in the series, putting pressure on both sides as three matches remain.
