England claim thrilling 31-run Edgbaston win over India

England sealed a dramatic victory over India by 31 runs, to go 1-0 up in the five-Test series at Edgbaston.

Ben Stokes was the hero for the hosts on Saturday, as he claimed the crucial scalp of Virat Kohli and finished with four wickets as a low scoring game went the way of Joe Root’s team.

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India resumed on 110 for five, chasing 194 for victory, but could only reach 162 on the fourth day of the game.

James Anderson removed Dinesh Karthik with the sixth ball of the day before Stokes produced the defining over of the match, dismissing Indian captain Kohli for 51 and Mohammed Shami.

Soon after, the all-rounder sealed victory by having Hardik Pandya caught at first slip to finish with figures of 4-40.

“What a game of cricket,” said England captain Root. “It was a fantastic team performance with ups and downs, but I think credit has to go to the bowlers from both teams.

“Coming into today we knew it would be a stiff test and I asked the guys to come in and show a bit of passion and really give everything. I tried to be calm today even if I didn’t appear to be, but that sort of atmosphere doesn’t make it easy – that’s what it’s all about.

“We knew there was a lot of hard work to be done even once Virat was out so we didn’t get ahead of ourselves and we’re really proud to have got over the line.”

Indian captain Kohli was keen to focus on the positives for his team despite defeat. “It was a great game of cricket – great for everyone watching it – so we’re glad to be a part of it,” he said.

“There were a couple of comebacks so we showed good character there but a team like England won’t let you comeback every time. We could have applied ourselves better but I’m still really proud of what we’ve done.

“We have to take the positives, show our character and do more with the bat. Our bowlers were excellent in the second innings so we can build on that for the rest of the series.”

At a time when cricket faces a battle for attention, it desperately needs a good series between two of the heavyweights, especially with football now returning. In that regard, this has been the ideal start. The second Test starts at Lord’s on Thursday.