England need just 119 runs to complete a stunning record chase to defeat India in the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston.
They have already pulled off three outstanding fourth innings run chases under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes to whitewash New Zealand. However, this would be the best of the lot.
The 359 that a Ben Stokes inspired England chased down to win the third Ashes Test at Headingley in 2019 is their record run chase, but this would eclipse that after India set them 378 to win.
England did well to bowl India out for 245 after the visitors resume on 125-3, with Stokes starring with the ball as he took 4-33 - his best Test bowling figures since 2017. Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant both passed fifty, but no other player managed more than 23 as England dragged themselves back into the game.
Alex Lees then got them off to a stunning start, before Zak Crawley began to find some form as the pair put 107 for the first wicket. England did suffer a scare when they lost three wickets for just two runs, but Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow proceeded to settle any nerves.
The two have been in stunning form recently and guided England from 109-3 to 259-3 at the close of play. Both players are unbeaten on 76 and 72 respectively and will be desperate to guide their side home in front of a capacity crowd on day five.
Pant continues to impress
Having already made a stunning 146 in the first innings, Pant followed it up with a crucial half-century in the second. In the process, he became just the second Indian wicketkeeper to score a hundred and a fifty in the same Test after Farokh Engineer did so back in 1973.
Pant also fell just one run short of equalling Alec Stewart's record for the most runs by a wicketkeeper in a Test match in England. Stewart made a total of 204 against South Africa at Old Trafford in 1998, while Pant managed 203.
The 24-year-old also ends the series as India's second leading run scorer behind Rohit Sharma, who missed this match after testing positive for Covid.
Anderson joins another elite club
After taking the catch which dismissed Shreyas Iyer, James Anderson became just the sixth player to achieve a remarkable record. It was his 100th catch in Test cricket, meaning he has now scored 1,000 runs, picked up 100 wickets and taken 100 catches.
He is the second Englishman to complete the feat after Ian Botham, along with West Indies duo Garfield Sobers and Carl Hooper, the late great Shane Warne and South Africa legend Jacques Kallis.
It is yet another reminder of Anderson's stunning longevity, with only Sachin Tendulkar playing more Tests than the 39-year-old's 172.
England's toughest chase yet
After three magnificent chases against New Zealand, England were tasked with repeating the feat once more against India. However, if they chase down 378 it will be their highest-ever successful run chase and the ninth-highest fourth innings run chase overall.
Bairstow said before the day began that England were confident of winning the match no matter what total they had to get. "Whatever they set, they set and we'll go about in the same manner," he said.
"Why not? There's no point in looking at figures and everything like that. We know it's going to be on day four, day five pitches that we're going to play on but that's okay. Recently, it's been a lot of fun."
And even if England do fall short, it will have been a stunning effort after Lees and Crawley got them off to a perfect start and Root and Bairstow put them in the driving seat.
Lees' blistering fifty
During his debut series in the West Indies, Lees scored his runs at a strike-rate of just 27.39 and there were question marks over whether his style of play would suit McCullum's England. However, he has showcased a completely different side of his game this summer, upping his strike-rate to 50 against New Zealand.
And he set the tone perfectly in England's second innings against India, striking 56 off just 65 balls. The 29-year-old was full of intent from ball one, notably coming down the wicket to Mohammed Shami and reverse sweeping Ravindra Jadeja.
Alongside Crawley, Lees helped put on England's fastest-ever century opening stand off just 19.5 overs. "Lees has played out of his skin," former England captain Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports.
"For me, it was about the shots Lees played and the ones Crawley didn't. Lees was controlled, disciplined, technically sound and immediately put the India bowlers on the back foot and silenced the crowd."
Root and Bairstow star again
The two Yorkshiremen have been in excellent form this summer and have combined again brilliantly in England's second innings. Root has been a run machine over the last 18 months, while Bairstow has scored three hundreds in his last three Tests.
The pair have now shared an unbeaten 150-run partnership to leave England just 119 runs away from victory after coming together when the momentum had swung back in India's favour. After losing three wickets for just two runs, Root and Bairstow were forced to soak up some pressure before scoring more fluently.
"Certain things came together, one is England's mindset and the other is the pitch," former England batting coach Mark Ramprakash said. "There was some uneven bounce yesterday but today the pitch has stayed true. It has gotten drier and flatter.
"What it is doing is that it is proving that batting last is not fraught with the same danger it was traditionally. India's fields were spread and that allowed Bairstow and Root to almost defend and get easy singles. That allowed them to build a big partnership."
