Akash Deep 6-fer seals historic win after Shubman Gill’s record-breaking show
India on Sunday beat England by 336 runs to draw level 1-1 with England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Akash Deep took six wickets, following up on the 4-fer he managed in the first innings, as England were all out for 271, having been asked to chase a mammoth target of 608 by India. Shubman Gill has thus become the first captain to lead India to victory in a Test match at Edgbaston, a final record to square off what has been an incredible match for him personally in which he scored a double century in the first innings and a century in the second. This was India’s ninth Test at the ground, having first played here in July 1967, and their best result before this was a draw that they managed in 1986 under Kapil Dev.
The day got off to a delayed start due to rain and England started on 72/3 in 16 overs, with Ollie Pope and Harry Brook at the crease. Akash Deep had struck twice on Day 4 and he ended up adding to his tally in just the fourth over of the day, dismissing Pope on 24 off 50. He then sent back Brook in his very next over, leaving England gasping for breath at 83/5.
England captain Ben Stokes and Jamie Smith then almost saw the hosts all the way through to Lunch, absorbing 115 balls for 70 runs. Ravindra Jadeja ran through his overs quickly, allowing India to squeeze in the 41st over of the innings in the first session as well. Washington Sundar bowled it and he ended up trapping Stokes right in front of middle stump off the third ball. England thus lost their captain at the stroke of Lunch and went into the hut with the score reading 153/6.
Smith then went for one six too many, with Deep sticking to the short-ball tactic to the England wicketkeeper-batter in the 56th over. He pulled Deep into the stands for sixes off the second and third ball but ended up being caught at deep backward square leg off the fourth, which was a bouncer but only a tad bit slower than the previous ones. Deep thus squared off his five-wicket haul and took his tally for the match to nine.
India copped criticism for their team selection at the start of the Test, particularly for resting pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for this match. However, Siraj and Deep stepped up in Bumrah’s absence. Captain Gill’s record-breaking 269 off 387 balls helped India score 587 runs in their first innings after which Siraj’s 6/70 and Deep’s 4/88 helped them take a big lead despite a 303-run partnership between Brook and Smith for the sixth wicket. Gill then broke a few more records by smashing 161 in just 162 balls in India’s second innings, thus helping them set a target of 608 for England to chase.
