[WATCH] ENG vs IND 2025: Bumrah's replacement Akash Deep strikes twice in two balls
India entered the second Test without the services of Jasprit Bumrah and instead went with Bengal's Akash Deep who also opened the bowling attack for the team after they posted 587 while batting first. The decision to go with the inexperienced pacer did not hurt at all, and in fact, it brought a bunch of happiness pretty early into his spell, as the youngster struck in just the second over he bowled, getting Ben Duckett out for a five-ball duck.
Duckett had a thickish outside edge that flew straight into the hands of Shubman Gill, the Indian captain, at third slip. If that wasn't enough, Akash Deep also affected the dismissal of Ollie Pope on the very next ball as the batter was trapped in yet another outside edge. This time, though, it was KL Rahul who took a sharp catch at the second slip. In a matter of no time, England went from being wicketless to being two down courtesy of Akash Deep's magical deliveries.
Few balls later, Mohammed Siraj, the most experienced pacer in the line-up, also got into the act by sending Zak Crawley packing, who made 19 runs as England were left reeling at 25 for the loss of three wickets. Currently, in-form Harry Brook and seasoned batter Joe Root are at the crease. The English duo will now look to rebuild from here and cruise towards the mammoth trail.
Speaking more of India's first innings, captain Gill was the star of the show with his brilliant double century that broke several records. The Fazilka-born made 269 runs off 387 balls, a knock that entered his name multiple times in the books of cricketing history. He became the first-ever Indian captain to hit a double hundred on the English soil, and only the third overall to do so in England.
Gill joined the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid to have hit a double ton in England, whereas, this was also the highest score by an Indian ever there.