An unheralded Akash Deep, hailing from Bihar's Sasaram, owned the big stage like never before in the absence of an iconic Jasprit Bumrah as Shubman Gill's young India's broke 58-year-old 'Edgbaston Jinx' thrashing England by 336 runs to level the five-Test series 1-1.
The 28-year-old Akash Deep took a match-haul of 10 wickets, including his maiden five-for -- 6/99 in England second innings with the hosts getting all-out for 271 in pursuit of an improbable 608.
If Gill, with his magnificent batting (269 and 161) set it up, Akash deserves equal credit for his lion-hearted effort on a track which was primarily a bowler's graveyard.
The rain delayed the start of the day by an hour and 40 minutes, reducing the day’s quota of overs to 80 with England resuming their second innings at 72 for three chasing a near impossible 608.
If Mohammed Siraj (7 wickets and catches) bowled like the leader of the attack in the first innings, Akash Deep built on his first innings gains to strike twice with new ball early on day five.
Once not having enough opportunities in a non-descript town in Bihar, the journey hasn't been a bed of roses for the son of a government school teacher, who would survive on pocket money earned by playing tennis ball cricket before scouts in Bengal saw his potential and fast tracked him into the age-group system seven years back.
He played his debut first-class game for Bengal during Christmas in 2019. In less than six years, his sharp incutters from length that fooled Joe Root, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook didn't let his skipper miss the peerless Bumrah.
For England, Jamie Smith (88) fought a lonely battle before being dismissed by a slow bouncer from Akash, giving the medium pacer his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket. Fittingly, Akash got the final wicket of the game to complete a match haul of 10/187.
The other star performer, Gill, pouched the catch at cover, leading to an animated celebration of his first success as Test captain. England also felt the pressure from Indian spinners duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who got the ball to drift and straighten.
After losing the series opener at Leeds from an ‘unlosable’ position, Gill-led India made an admirable comeback at the back of the captain’s record breaking 430 runs in the match and the showing of Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj, who both got the new ball to talk on a flat surface.
In Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, not much was expected from the Indian pace attack but Siraj and Akash Deep changed the perception with match turning spells in either innings. The Edgbaston authorities had slashed the ticket prices for the final from a minimum of GBP 90 to 25.
For the first time in the game, the Indians outnumbered the England supporters and eventually got their money’s worth The third Test begins at Lord’s in four days’ time and India seem to have most bases covered with bowlers complementing the batters.
Bumrah will be back and Akash Deep, who attacks the stumps from good length, would be looking forward to run in down the hill from the Pavillion End at the iconic Lord’s.
India were on course for a series-levelling win after Akash Deep struck twice to leave England on 153 for six at lunch. Washington Sundar had Ben Stokes leg before wicket at the stroke of lunch to matters worse for the opposition.
On a typical English weather day when heavy cloud cover and subsequent rain made way for bright sunshine, the start was delayed by one hour and 40 minutes. Prasidh Krishna opened the bowling alongside Akash Deep, who was the stand out bowler of the session.
For the first time in the high-scoring game, the wicket appeared to have deteriorated a bit with Akash getting a prodigious amount of seam movement. It was a tad surprising that Mohammed Siraj did not start alongside Akash. Having said that, Akash Deep needed seven balls to provide the breakthrough in the opening hour as Ollie Pope played one on to his stumps.
In the following over from Akash, the dangerous Harry Brook was trapped in front with a delivery that hit the crack and seamed back in sharply. Brook could not do much about that. It can be assumed that the medium pacer has sealed his place for the Lord’s Test with a stellar use of the new ball at Edgbaston. Krishna from the other end could not strike but performed the holding role effectively.
Ravindra Jadeja was brought in after the first hour of and he got the ball to turn from the rough instantly, posing problems for Ben Stokes and Jamie Smith. Unlike Headingley, Jadeja tried to take some pace off his deliveries and it did turn off the rough. The England captain however was able to get some much needed runs.
He got four boundaries off Siraj including from a pull and extra cover drive off Siraj. Realising that there was little point in just defending, Stokes decided to sweep Jadeja.
Going into day five, either an India win or draw were probable results with England effectively conceding that there were not going to go for the mammoth target despite only drawing one game in the last three years.
