Jonny Bairstow smashed a 140-ball 106 against India in the rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Sunday. The English batter guided his team past 250 runs after they were 83/5 in the 26th over. During his innings, the 32-year-old passed Usman Khawaja (822) of Australia and now is the highest run-scorer in Tests this year. He has 880 runs in eight matches at an average of 67.69. Bairstow has scored five centuries and one fifty in 2022 so far. 

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Bairstow came out to bat when England were 44/3. He joined hands with Joe Root, Jack Leach, Ben Stokes and Sam Billings to rescue his team single-handedly. He reached his ton in 119 balls. 

Jonny Bairstow kept defending against the angsty Indian pacers in the first half of his innings. The 32-year-old had scored 13 runs from the first 61 balls faced. However, he picked up speed and scored the rest 93 in 79 deliveries. 

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This was his third century in his last three Test matches, and the 11th of his Test career. Bairstow’s scores in the last three Tests are:

8 and 136 vs NZ Trent Bridge

162 and 71* vs NZ Headingly

100* vs Ind Edgbaston

It was pacer Mohammed Shami who got rid of Jonny Bairstow with a full delivery outside off. The batter went hard at it but edged it to Virat Kohli in the first slip. 

Bairstow wasn’t fluent throughout his innings. He seemed to be struggling during the final hour on second day. Former India skipper Virat Kohli had something to say to Bairstow about his ‘play and miss’ game and the England batter wasn’t someone to take the stuff lying down.

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Post that altercation, Bairstow started chancing his arms as he played a lot of lofted shots over mid-off and clipped a few towards mid-wicket boundary.

While Thakur got the prized scalp of Stokes, Bairstow did hand him some harsh punishment with a ramp shot followed by a square drive.

There was also a regal pick-up pull for maximum off Mohammed Siraj’s bowling.

There were two more sixes off Thakur’s bowling as the session belonged to England.

After dismissing Bairstow, India managed to get rid of Stuart Broad and Sam Billings to reduce the hosts to 267/9 after 59 overs.