The Yorkshireman played a crucial role in England’s great win over India on Monday at Edgbaston, scoring his twelfth Test century as England finished the greatest run chase in their Test history by trying to reach 378-3 on the last day in Birmingham with ease.
Under the new leadership of New Zealander McCullum, England has had an incredible 5 weeks; they are 13/8 favorites to win the upcoming Ashes series and 7/2 favorites to win the T20 World Cup afterward this year. Bairstow has always been at the forefront of the revival.
England entered the home series against the Black Caps at the beginning of June and had only triumphed in one of their prior 17 Test matches. Still, they ended up beating the Kiwis in an exciting 3-0 victory and then the Indians in the postponed fifth and final Test to tie the series that had been going since last summer, which had been tied at 2-2.
Having to play without a sense of failure has been a recurring theme throughout all of the games. England appeared to be on the brink of failure or at the very least a draw in each of the three Tests against the Black Caps and the one against India.
They have, however, gone into each run-chase with a positive outlook. England already has achieved goals of 277, 296, and 299 this summer, and they can now add this enormous 378 to the list.
The campers believe that they can overcome any obstacle that is put in their way. The constructive attitude exemplified by Bairstow is paying off, and the trust in the changing room is skyrocketing. Indeed, following the victory over India, the team’s new captain, Ben Stokes, mentioned how Bairstow had benefited greatly from the “clarity” that had been restored in the commands given to the players before their departure for the field.
In a recent interview, Stokes claimed that Bairstow had done it. His newfound clarity has made it easier for him to act as he has over the past five weeks.
