On the last day of the Edgbaston Test, England had been struggling to stay alive. The enormous 608-run goal had long since vanished from mind; time and the potential for opposition were all that remained. Following initial blows to Ollie Pope and Harry Brook, Ben Stokes and Jamie Smith owned the morning, seemingly forging the kind of partnership that may have stymied India's victory push. But the hosts' dinner plans were thwarted by a flash of strategic genius from India's captain.

India's pace-bowling all-rounder Nitish Reddy had already given his jumper to the umpire in preparation for bowling, with just a few overs remaining before lunch. However, Shubman Gill changed his mind at the last minute. Sensing a crack at the left-handed Stokes before the interval, he brought Washington Sundar on in his place. Ravindra Jadeja joined the assault on the English captain from the other end, and a two-way spin-attack ensued.

Sundar had initially been instructed by Rishabh Pant, who was behind the stumps, to allow Stokes to take a single and face Jadeja at the opposite end. However, that strategy did not work out, and Jadeja, as usual, gave Sundar one more chance to target Stokes by bowling a quick second-to-last over.

What was the outcome? In the context of this game, it has the potential to change the rules. Sundar made the biggest breakthrough of the first session when he caught Stokes lbw for 33 on the third ball of the final over before lunch. The ball drifted into the pads and had just enough divergence from the off-spin to beat the inside edge.

Stokes, who was attempting to defend from the crease, missed the line. Before hitting the bat, the ball hit the pad, and umpire Sharfuddoula instantly lifted his finger. The captain of England made a review, but to no avail.

A rough morning session

England had been through a difficult period up until that point. Pope was the first to fall in the morning, losing out to Akash Deep's additional bounce. Shortly after, Harry Brook chipped a ball from Ravindra Jadeja to backward point. However, Stokes and Smith had acclimatized themselves and were absorbing pressure. Their collaboration started to give England hope that they could prolong the game and maybe even salvage it.

But India continued to investigate. And just before the break, Sundar's performance and Gill's choice helped to defeat England. The visitors' path to victory has reopened, with more than half the team back and two sessions remaining.

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