Jonny Bairstow's top 3 performances in the Pataudi Trophy

Jonathan 'Jonny' Bairstow is now an established limited-overs batter. He is highly sought-after by IPL franchises and a mainstay in the England national team, even going on to win a World Cup at home in 2019.

While the 32-year-old is the first-choice wicket-keeper for the England Test team, he is yet to provide the same impact with the bat in the longest format of the game.

That being said, Bairstow has played 86 Tests for England, scoring 10 hundreds and 23 fifties at an average of 36.07 and a high score of 167 not out.

On the eve of the 5th Test of the Pataudi Trophy, let’s look at Jonny Bairstow’s top three innings in the competition.

#3) 57 (107), Lord's 2021

The home side won the toss and chose to field first at the Home of Cricket after the first match ended in a tightly contested draw. The visitors scored 364 runs in their first innings with a quickfire 83 from Rohit Sharma and a solid 129 from KL Rahul.

In response, England lost wickets in quick succession and star batter and captain Joe Root ran out of partners.

In came Bairstow at 108-3, immediately taking the attack back at the Indian pace lineup. The aggressive batter played his shots across the ground, supporting his captain from the other end.

The duo built the innings till the side were 229-4 when Mohammad Siraj’s bouncer proved too good for the wicketkeeper-batter. Bairstow was the second-highest scorer of that innings, only behind Joe Root’s magnificent 180 not out.

#2) 70 (88), Edgbaston 2018

While this was a Test remembered for Sam Curran's all-round brilliance, Jonny’s quickfire innings in a hundred-run stand with captain Joe Root ensured England really had a headstart in the first couple of days.

Winning the toss and batting first, England found themselves at a moderate 112-3, when Jonny walked in to bat. In difficult batting conditions, the Englishman timed the ball with sheer brilliance. While Root’s innings characterized patience and perseverance, Bairstow was the complete opposite. He scored 70 runs in just 88 balls at a strike rate of almost 80.

The Englishman's stunning performance came to an end as he dragged on Umesh Yadav's delivery onto his stumps. The rest of the English batters failed to impress in that innings, showing how good this particular knock given the conditions.

#1) 93 (144), Lord's 2018

Leading 1-0 in the series, England won the toss and asked India to bat. The overcast conditions on Day 2 suited the strengths of the English bowlers after the first day of play was washed out. The Indian team was skittled out for 107 following a five-wicket haul by James Anderson and a deadly spell from Chris Woakes.

In response, England found themselves at 77-3, failing to take the opportunity to take a massive first-innings lead. Walking in to bat at No. 5, Bairstow steadied one end of the ship while two batters came and went by 131-5.

In his controlled yet aggressive innings, the Englishman stitched together a massive partnership of 189 with centurion Chris Woakes, scoring all over the ground. However, he fell just seven runs short of a well-deserved Lord’s hundred against a tough bowling attack, taking his team to a near 200-run lead.

Bairstow's 93 along with Woakes’ 137 not out ensured that England won the match by an innings and 137 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.