Birmingham [UK], July 5: Indian pacer Akash Deep revealed that the unwavering support and confidence instilled by head coach Gautam Gambhir played a key role in his impressive four-wicket haul during the first innings of the second Test against England at Edgbaston.
Akash Deep, who returned figures of 4/88 in 20 overs at an economy of 4.40, combined with Mohammed Siraj’s six-wicket haul to bowl England out for 407, handing India a crucial 180-run first-innings lead on Friday.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Akash credited Gambhir’s mentorship for his self-belief. “He [Gautam Gambhir] was sharing his experience. As a coach, he has given me confidence since I joined here. That confidence is what was reflected in the match. When you know that your coach is backing you so much, you get the confidence that was reflected in the match,” he said.
Reflecting on his bowling approach, Akash emphasized the importance of discipline and executing plans. “As a bowler, it is in your hands to bowl in disciplined areas, to bowl according to your plan. I feel that if we keep things simple, go into the match with our plan and try to execute it ourselves, then it is not that tough for us, irrespective of the conditions, wicket, or batsman,” he explained.
Earlier, England resumed the third session on 355/5 with Harry Brook and Jamie Smith unbeaten on 140 and 157, respectively. Brook reached his 150 in the 79th over, but the pair eventually fell as India wrapped up the innings.
At stumps on Day 3, India reached 64/1 in their second innings, with KL Rahul unbeaten on 28 and Karun Nair on 7, extending India’s lead to 244 runs after the early dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal for 28.
Brief scores: India 587 (Shubman Gill 269, Ravindra Jadeja 89; Shoaib Bashir 3/167) vs England 407 (Jamie Smith 184*, Harry Brook 158; Mohammed Siraj 6/70, Akash Deep 4/88). India 64/1 (KL Rahul 28*, Karun Nair 7*; Josh Tongue 1/12). (ANI)