India came into the second Test of their five-match series against England with plenty of self-doubt, especially given the reports that their ace bowler Jasprit Bumrah might sit the game out.
Their bowling attack had been obliterated by England's 'Bazball' approach in the fourth innings at Headingley in the first Test, with the Englishmen cantered through a mammoth chase of 371 to inflict a hammering.
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In that light, not many would've expected India to script as stirring a victory to level the series at Edgbaston, a venue where they had never won a Test before. And especially, without arguably the best strike bowler in the world.
But that is exactly what transpired, as India absolutely dominated England's Bazballers on another largely lifeless pitch and notched a historic 336-run victory.
How did they manage to do so? Especially when fans and pundits alike had ridiculed their decision to rest Bumrah and ignore the clamour to include left-arm chinaman Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI? Let's find out.
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Three reasons why India reigned supreme in IND vs ENG 2nd Test at Edgbaston
1) The perfect captain's game from Shubman Gill
As far as newly-appointed captains go, Shubman Gill acquitted himself pretty decently at Headingley in the first Test. He was brilliant with the bat, scoring a century but there were question marks on his captaincy, especially in the fourth innings where India struggled to contain the English batters.
But the 25-year-old put those doubts to rest at Edgbaston and took his batting to the next level. After being inserted to bat by England, India had to score big in the first innings, given their 'depleted' bowling attack and England's batting firepower on a benign pitch. And Gill led the way with aplomb, holding the innings together despite them slipping to 211/5 at one point. His restraint and stroke-making were equally compelling as he helped himself to a record-breaking 269 runs.
He then followed it up with another big hundred in the second innings, scoring 161 to take his tally for the match to 430 runs, which is the highest ever by an Indian batsman in a Test. As far as leading from the bat goes, he couldn't have been more perfect.
And that confidence translated to his captaincy on the field as well, with shrewd field placements and good catching coming to the fore. Only phase where Gill was slightly found wanting was when Jamie Smith and Harry Brook put together a 300-run stand in the first innings, which ultimately did not influence the result.
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2) England's 'Bazball-influenced' reluctance to play on bowler-friendly wickets?
Interestingly, England captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum have always preferred to chase in Tests, especially at home. That has suited them pretty well in the recent past, with the Englishmen scripting 350+ chases multiple times under the 'Bazball' regime.
That was the case in the first Test at Headingley too, as England whitted down a 371-run target with absolute ease. Their batsmen score freely and a lot of that has to do with how easy it has been to bat in the pitches recently in Tests involving England.
They have struggled overseas in spin-friendly conditions, losing series' in India and Pakistan. But at home, their formula for success has been benign pitches and banking on their batting firepower.
However, it backfired at Edgbaston, with India absolutely capitalising on the flat nature of the surface to bat themselves into a position from where they could not lose. And England's reluctance to play for the draw in the second innings meant the wickets came a bit too easy for India. It will be interesting to see how the surfaces will be for the rest of the series.
3) Akash Deep steps up big time as India's bold selection calls pay off
There were quite a few question marks over India's eventual selection calls for this Test, which included resting Bumrah, ignoring Kuldeep and dropping Sai Sudarshan. Many dubbed Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill's calls as defensive, especially after Washington Sundar came in for Shardul Thakur.
Akash Deep was another key inclusion but it was Mohammed Siraj who was expected to lead the attack. However, Akash Deep stepped up big time at Edgbaston. He made the new ball talk in both innings, planting seeds of doubts in English batsmen's minds on what was otherwise a good wicket to bat on.
More importantly, he managed to jolt England early on. Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley's 188-run opening stand was the key to England's win at Headingley but Akash Deep devoured Duckett early in both innings at Edgbaston and followed it up with key wickets of the English top order. He ended up with 10-wickets in the match, and that is no mean feat on that flat surface.
Washington Sundar also played his part in the win, despite many dubbing his inclusion as a defensive call. He scored 42 in the first innings, stitching together a 144-run stand for the 7th wicket with his captain which was crucial in India scoring 608. And that was a huge part in India dominating this game.