Akash Deep took six wickets as India crushed England by 336 runs to level the series at 1-1 on Sunday after they bowled out the hosts for 271 to claim their first test victory at Edgbaston and Shubman Gill’s first win as captain.
India had never won at Edgbaston in eight tests, losing seven, and they were humbled last time out at the venue when England completed their highest successful run chase (378) three years ago.
Faced with the daunting task of chasing 608 to win, however, England crumbled as Deep ripped through the top order and claimed his maiden test five-wicket haul with figures of 6-99 to finish with 10 wickets in the match.
It was also India’s biggest away win by runs, helped in large part by Gill’s 430-run haul which earned him the man of the match award.
“On this kind of wicket, we knew if we get around 400 or 500 runs, we’d be straight back into the game. Not in all games you’re going to drop that many chances that we got in (the first test in) Headingley.”
Gill also praised his fast bowlers Deep and Mohammed Siraj, who took six wickets in the first innings.
“They were magnificent. I think the way we were able to get through the top order, that was very important for us. And both those bowlers bowled brilliantly,” Gill said.
Rain delay
India’s bowlers targeted the cracks on a surface that had been a good batting track for four days, none more so than Deep who removed overnight batters Ollie Pope and Harry Brook in the first session which was delayed by rain.
Pope played on a rising delivery that crashed into his stumps, while Brook was surprised by an off-cutter that trapped him lbw and also hurt him when it hit the inside of his knee to leave England reeling at 83-5.
Skipper Ben Stokes and Jamie Smith steadied the ship with a 70-run partnership off 115 balls, abandoning their usual Bazball approach as the spinners also found purchase on rough parts of the pitch.
With lunch beckoning, however, Washington Sundar struck to remove Stokes lbw for 33.
Resuming on 153-6, Smith scored a half-century but nearing another hundred with two consecutive sixes, he fell for 88 going for a third when he was caught at deep backward square to become Deep’s fifth victim.
Brydon Carse provided entertainment with the bat as he went after the bowling, but he was the last man out for 38 when he skied Deep to Gill who fittingly took the catch to seal a famous victory for his team.
‘So much heart’
“He (Deep) bowled with so much heart. The areas and the lengths that he hit, he was just getting the ball to move both ways,” Gill said.
“On wickets like these, it’s very difficult to get the ball moving in both directions and he was able to do that. He was just magnificent for us.”
When asked if pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah would return for the third test at Lord’s which begins on Thursday, Gill smiled and said: “Definitely!”
Stokes admitted England had made mistakes, the biggest being to allow Gill and Ravindra Jadeja to rescue India’s first innings when they were reduced to 211-5 with a 203-run stand.
“If we were able to burst them open a bit quicker than we ended up doing, then things could have been a little bit different,” he said.
“And then being 80-5 (84) in our reply to India’s big first innings, it was obviously going to be tough to be able to scrape it back from there.
“The opposition is full of world-class performers, Shubman’s had an unbelievable game with the bat.”
