England vs India 2018: 3 positive takeaways for India from Edgbaston heartbreak

Edgbaston Test might go down as one of the most thrilling contests the format has ever seen. India will rue missing a golden chance of not only becoming the first Asian team to end up triumphant on this daunting venue in a Test match, but also draw first blood in this highly anticipated series.

The visitors had their fair share of dominance throughout the game and will definitely take away some positives before the two Goliath-like sides lock horns at the Home of Cricket.

Ishant Sharma's sizzling spell

Ishant Sharma, who seems to be around this Indian Test team since forever, returned honours with a sensational spell of seam bowling to completely turn the match in India's favour. He was wayward and a bit all over the place in the 1st innings but just like Lord's 2014, the 29-year old found rejuvenation in the latter half of the match.

Sharma decided to alter his approach and come around the wicket to England's left-handers. He immediately had the ball talking and the change of angle became a far more lethal option: with the slant coming into them, the lefties perceived it as in-swingers and subsequently played inside the line of the ball.

With Sharma's natural movement, however, the ball would just slither away after pitching; moving away enough to hauntingly kiss the bat's edge and fly to the slips cordon.

England v India: Specsavers 1st Test - Day Three

Sharma had Malan squared up with an absolute peach before routing out England's middle order: Johnny Bairstow, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler in space of five deliveries to turn the game on its head. It was all about sheer control and wonderful pointed-seam that double-bluffed such a fearsome batting order.

With Broad's wicket in the hindmost part of the innings, Sharma completed a superb five-for: undoubtedly one of his finest in Test Cricket.

Virat Kohli's unfaltering application

England v India: Specsavers 1st Test - Day Four

Although the man does not rate his Edgbaston outing as the finest of his illustrious Test career, it still was a remarkable show of obsessive grit and unflinching struggle, both mental and physical. Just the fact that he scored 200 of the total 414 runs scored by India in the match speaks volumes of the player's caliber and the value he brings to this Indian team.

Since being cheaply dropped in the first innings, Kohli went all defensive whereas he's all about belligerence and eyeing the opposition without wavering an inch. But analyzing the match situation and the need of the hour, he decided to sit back and respect an all-time great who also happens to be Kohli's arch-nemesis, if not less: Jimmy Anderson.

England v India: Specsavers 1st Test - Day Two

Through sneaky running, an odd shot of dominance and regularly turning the strike over, he reached a magnificent ton: his first on the British shores. Through sheer intelligence and smartness, he compiled 105 runs with his tail-enders: racking up a hefty 92 from them, himself. Through the typical Kohli-esque approach, he pulled India out of a bottomless pit to give them a brilliant chance of knocking over the Poms.

With his composed modus operandi, Kohli almost single-handedly took India over the victory line. He missed out on his most favored strokes: the subcontinental flick of the wrists for a leg-glance. To his utter bewilderment, he totally missed it, might have underplayed it, and was adjudged plumb. With his departure, the Indian hopes sank.

Ashwin Spins A Web Away From Home

England v India: Specsavers 1st Test - Day One

Ravi Ashwin was, arguably, India's pick of the bowlers in the first Test match. Whenever he was called upon by the skipper, he delivered with crucial breakthroughs and massive scalps. Ashwin's two dismissals of Alastair Cook (absolute doppelgangers) were definitely the highlight of his 7-wicket match haul.

Ashwin was handed over the cherry as early as the 8th over in the first innings and 2nd over in the 2nd innings. But he displayed that his guile and class was not to be governed by the newness of the Duke ball. Through immaculate discipline and control, he plucked out vital English wickets to keep India in the game throughout the match's time span.

Unlike Kuldeep's wizardry, it was not the matter of not picking Ashwin from the hand and consequently falling prey to his variety. Englishmen were clearly picking his sliders, carroms as well as his conventional off-spinners. But it was the dip and the unswerving control on line and length that deceived batsmen of Cook and Root's quality.

The two Cook dismissals were two extraordinary deliveries: the kind of deliveries that any off-spinner cherishes.