India’s captain Shubman Gill praised fast bowler Akash Deep for his brilliant performance that helped India crush England by 336 runs in the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham. This win not only leveled the five-match series 1-1 but also marked India’s first-ever Test victory at this historic venue.
At the post-match press conference, Gill highlighted Akash Deep’s match-turning spell on Day 4. He said, “Yesterday, I think, getting through the top order is never easy.” He also pointed out that Akash Deep’s key dismissals of Ben Duckett and Joe Root gave the team belief. According to Gill, “The spell of Akash Deep, how he got those two wickets, kind of gave the confidence to everyone that we can win this Test match.”
Gill further explained that Akash Deep’s accuracy and control on the final day made a big difference. He stated, “When he came in this morning with the ball hitting the cracks, yes, the ball was seaming, the odd ball seaming, that’s what really instilled the confidence in all of the players that, yes, we can do it.”
Akash Deep Breaks Historic Record in England
Akash Deep finished with outstanding match figures of 10 wickets for 187 runs (4/88 in the first innings and 6/99 in the second). With this, he broke Chetan Sharma’s long-standing record of 10/188 for the best bowling performance by an Indian in a Test match on English soil.
Gill Explains Strategic Choice of Washington Sundar
India also surprised many by picking Washington Sundar over the more attacking Kuldeep Yadav. This decision sparked debate before the match. However, Gill defended the move and shared the team’s thinking. He said, “It is very tempting when you have a bowler like Kuldeep. One of the reasons why I wanted to play Washington was because he gives us batting depth.”
Gill emphasized Sundar’s importance with the bat in the first innings. He noted, “In the first innings, I think the partnership between me and Washington, if it wasn’t for that partnership, then our lead would have been 70-80-90 runs, which is psychologically very different from 180.”
Washington Sundar not only scored a crucial 42 runs in the first innings but also got the big wicket of Ben Stokes in the second. This underlined his value as an all-rounder. Gill explained that the team chose a finger spinner for better control on a slow, turning pitch. He said, “Even on the 5th day, the ball was not moving that much from the middle, it was just moving through the roughness.”
Gill added that “we thought that maybe if our first batting comes, then maybe on a 5th day wicket, the finger spinner will give us more control if the ball is moving from the wicket.” He also mentioned that “on such wickets, sometimes more than fast bowling, the spin gives you more control.”
Team Will Reassess Strategy for Lord’s Test
Looking ahead, Gill said the team is open to changing the bowling attack depending on pitch conditions at Lord’s. He stated, “So that was our mindset, but now we will see what kind of wicket they are giving at Lord’s.”