Birmingham: India’s captain Shubman Gill hailed Akash Deep for his game-changing spell that powered India to a 336-run win over England in the second Test at Edgbaston, marking India’s first-ever Test win at the iconic venue and levelling the five-match series 1-1.
In the post-match press conference, Gill praised Akash Deep’s fiery bowling on Day 4, when he dismissed key English batters Ben Duckett and Joe Root, shifting momentum decisively in India’s favour.
“Yesterday, I think, getting through the top order is never easy,” Gill said.
“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 and 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 the players that, yes, we can do it.”
Akash Deep ended the match with remarkable figures of 10/187 (4/88 and 6/99), breaking Chetan Sharma’s 38-year-old record of 10/188, becoming the Indian with the best match figures in a Test on English soil.
Tactical Selection: Washington Over Kuldeep
One of the talking points before the match was India’s decision to field Washington Sundar instead of Kuldeep Yadav. Addressing the move, Gill emphasized the need for batting depth and control in spinning conditions.
“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,” said Gill.
“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 scored a crucial 42 runs in the first innings and later dismissed Ben Stokes in the second, proving his value as an all-rounder.
Gill elaborated on the strategy, explaining that on a fifth-day surface, a finger spinner like Washington offers better control compared to wrist spin.
“Even on the 5th day, the ball was not moving that much from the middle, it was just moving through the roughness. 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 and especially on such wickets, sometimes more than fast bowling, the spin gives you more control.”
Looking Ahead to Lord’s
With the series now tied, all eyes are on the third Test at Lord’s. Gill hinted at potential changes based on the pitch conditions at the iconic ground.
“So that was our mindset, but now we will see what kind of wicket they are giving at Lord’s,” he added.
As India looks to carry forward their momentum, Gill’s tactical clarity and young guns like Akash Deep could prove vital in the remainder of the series.