Gill, Akash Deep shine as India end Edgbaston curse with monumental win vs England in 2nd Test
New Delhi: India defeated England by 336 runs to win the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Sunday, July 6. Akash Deep picked up his maiden ten-wicket haul while Shubman Gill scored 430 runs to help the Men in Blue level the five-match series at 1-1. Team India won their first Test match at Edgbaston in 58 years and also ended their eight-match losing streak.
The visitors set a mammoth target of 608 runs, and then the England top-order struggled against the Indian pace attack. The surface had enough help for the bowlers, and they showed great consistency by hitting excellent areas and getting enough movement to test the batters.
Mohammed Siraj removed Zak Crawley on duck while Akash Deep removed dangerous Ben Duckett on 25 runs in the fifth over. He removed Joe Root with a beautiful delivery as England left reeling at 72/3 at stumps on Day 4.
After a long rain delay, Indian bowlers continued where they left off. Akash Deep dismissed Ollie Pope for 24 runs in his second over on Day 5. He picked up his fourth wicket in the second innings by removing Brook on 23 runs, and Washington Sunder dismissed skipper Ben Stokes on 33 runs just before lunch.
Woakes played a poor shot in Prasidh’s over as India inched closer to the historic win at Edgbaston. Akash Deep completed his maiden Test fifer by dismissing set-batter Jamie Smith on 88. Siraj took a great catch at short midwicket in Jadeja’s over to remove Josh Tongue as the hosts lost their ninth wicket. Akash Deep removed Brydon Carse to complete his 10-wicket Test match haul and seal a historic win for Team India.
Shubman Gill created history by scoring 430 runs in the second Test match. He became the first batter to score a double century and a 150 in 148 years of Test cricket. Gill became the first Indian in 87 years to score more than 400 runs in a single Test. His aggregate score of 430 runs is the second-most by a batter in history, only behind Graham Gooch’s record of 456 runs.
He scored 269 runs off 387 balls in the first innings and 161 runs in the second. Gill batted with great composure and played beautiful drives to put the pressure back on England bowlers. He stitched crucial partnerships with Jaiswal, Jadeja and Pant to help India post massive totals in both innings
The big difference between the two sides was what their pacers did with the new ball. The English pacers didn’t find the right areas, and the skiddier Indian seamers targeted the stumps from different angles and got the ball moving around. The hosts were reduced to 84/5 in the first innings and 83/5 in the second. Siraj picked up six wickets and Akash Deep took four wickets as the hosts bowled for 407 runs in the first innings. Brook scored 158 runs and Jamie Smith amassed unbeaten 184 runs.
After posting a massive 608-run target, the Indian bowlers delivered another brilliant performance as England bundled out for 271 runs in the second innings. Akash Deep took six wickets while Siraj, Prasidh, Jadeja and Sundar picked up one wicket each as India record their biggest win (by runs) away from home.