Root, Bairstow complete record run chase as England beat India

Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow put the wheels on as England completed a fourth successive winning run chase under their new Test leadership duo of captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.

Resuming the fifth day on 259 for 3, Root and Bairstow conjured centuries, the latter scoring his fourth consecutive ton and the second of the match, as England romped home by seven wickets.

Fourth successive ton

Bairstow, who scored his 12th hundred in 87 Tests, had made 136 in the second innings at Nottingham against New Zealand and followed that up with 162 at Leeds.

He had scored 106 in the first innings here against India. Meanwhile, it was Root's 28th century in 121 Test matches.

There have been only two successful fourth-innings chases above 200 in a Test at Edgbaston, with South Africa making 283-5 in 2008 and England 211-3 against New Zealand in 1999.

No England side had made more to win in the fourth innings of a Test than 359, when Stokes' brilliant century led them to a thrilling victory over Australia at Headingley three years ago.

England, however, reached seemingly stiff targets of 277, 299 and 296 during a recent 3-0 whitewash of Test world champions New Zealand.

And their newly aggressive 'Bazball' approach, named in honour of McCullum's nickname, was evident from the start of their latest chase.

Earlier on Monday, the fourth day of the Test, the Yorkshire duo had added an unbroken 150 in 22 overs after coming together at 109-3.

India had wasted two of their three reviews this innings when Root was on 11 and 16, with spinner Ravindra Jadeja and paceman Mohammed Shami the bowlers rightly denied lbw verdicts against the world's top-ranked Test batsman.

Bairstow was reprieved on 14 when an edge off Mohammed Siraj burst through the hands of Hanuma Vihari at second slip.