Josh Tongue Leaves KL Rahul Baffled in Dramatic Edgbaston Test
Fast bowling can often turn a Test match on its head in a matter of seconds, and Josh Tongue gave a perfect example at Edgbaston with a sizzling wicket that left fans buzzing. It wasn’t just any dismissal—he clean bowled KL Rahul in such spectacular fashion, the image of Rahul’s middle stump somersaulting has already become a summer highlight that no cricket lover will forget soon.
The drama unfolded late on Day 4, in the thick of India’s second innings. KL Rahul, having looked settled and confident with 55 runs off 83 balls (stroking 10 well-timed boundaries), faced an in-form Tongue charging in with the new ball. Tongue’s line was full and sharp, swinging in at pace, confounding Rahul who expected the ball to hold its line. Instead, the delivery straightened decisively off the seam, slicing through Rahul’s defense and launching the middle stump out of the ground. The crowd at Edgbaston erupted—it was that rare moment in Test cricket where sheer skill totally upstaged any tactical battles going on in the background.
India had built a substantial lead—over 340 runs—and seemed well in control, particularly as Rahul and company batted with confidence. England’s bowlers needed something exceptional to bring them back into the contest, especially after being outplayed for stretches of the match. Earlier in the game, despite heroic centuries from Harry Brook (158) and Jamie Smith (a spectacular unbeaten 184), England had conceded a hefty 180-run deficit after the first innings. Defensive bowling and tidy field placements hadn’t worked. Tongue, the 27-year-old right-arm seamer, provided the X-factor.
His rhythm had been clear the previous evening too, when he nabbed the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal for 28, trapping the opener leg before with another well-directed delivery. Those two scalps highlighted not just Tongue’s knack for prising out set batters, but also his skill in adapting lines and lengths to different opponents. There’s a growing sense in the England dressing room—and among fans—of witnessing the rise of a fast bowler with real potential to trouble top-order batsmen, even on pitches that aren’t doing much.
The Rahul wicket wasn’t just about pure pace. It was about confidence under pressure and the ability to execute a plan exactly as intended. When many bowlers would fade into the background on a flat wicket, Tongue pushed for the breakthrough, backing his strengths at a crunch moment. That delivery reignited England’s flickering hopes, as captain Ben Stokes huddled his team, seized on the sudden momentum, and urged more of the same spirit.
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While India still held plenty of aces with the likes of Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill batting, Tongue's wicket got everyone talking—pundits debated line and length, fans cheered for every single ball, and even opposing batters admitted the quality of that one delivery. Tongue’s performance summed up how even in a lop-sided game, a bit of individual brilliance can force a rethink in the opposing camp.
It’s also a reminder of how thrilling Test cricket can be, given the right mix of conditions and characters. Tongue is making a habit of producing just the right ball at the right time. With plenty of cricket left in the summer, it’s safe to say bowlers have found a new hero to emulate—and batters, a new name to watch out for as Edgbaston’s surface keeps producing drama.