Edgbaston breached: India break duck in England’s storied fortress, win by 336 runs to level series 1-1 | Cricket News
Birmingham: Under the grey skies on a chilly Sunday, a young and vibrant Indian team generated enough steam to blow away England and complete a dominant 336-run win in the second Test. As captain Shubman Gill calmly pouched a skier to dismiss Brydon Carse off Akash Deep to complete India’s first ever win at Edgbaston, India’s young brigade announced to the world that they were more than just a side in transition, but a team capable of competing and winning against the best.It was apt that India’s top performers in the match, Gill and Akash Deep, were both involved in completing the proceedings. Gabba 2021 had been an indication of the resource pool in Indian cricket. The Edgbaston win has been a confirmation of their capabilities.With India’s premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah opting to sit out of the Test, and without the services of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin, the next generation once again demonstrated it has more capability than the world assumed.On the eve of the Test, a member of the British media had asked India captain Shubman Gill if he had any idea why no Indian team had been able to win a Test here. Gill, maintaining his composure, said he believed he has got the team capable of doing so.It could have been the emotion taking over, but Gill was firm in sending a message that his team considered the defeat in the first Test at Headingley a lost opportunity. Having dominated nine of the first 10 days of cricket in this series, Gill would proudly say he wasn’t off the mark. After all, he led the way with two monumental knocks in the Test.Debates around the delayed declaration on Day Four evening got louder when the skies opened up as the teams arrived at the venue on the final day. With an hour and half of play lost, India were left with 80 overs to force a result.Akash Deep took the onus on himself to open the floodgates early on the day. He dished out a masterclass in seam bowling by returning figures of 6/99, to go with his four wickets in the first innings.
Four overs into the day, Akash Deep got the ball to nip back off the seam to beat Ollie Pope’s defences and knock over the bails after the ball hit his elbow. Two overs later, he made first-innings centurion Harry Brook look like a novice when the ball jagged back off the seam to hit his back knee. Akash’s relentless attacking lines across both innings was reminiscent of the absent Mohammed Shami.Jamie Smith had to come out to bat at 83/5 after having launched a counter-attack at 84/5 in the first innings. However, his 99-ball 88 on Sunday was never going to threaten India’s attack. When Washington Sundar, the second spinner India brought in specifically for the second innings, rapped Ben Stokes in front at the stroke of lunch, England’s defiance was cut short.The target of 608 was too big for India to even feel threatened by Smith’s fluent strokeplay. His efforts only delayed the inevitable, with England eventually folding for 271.England had dared India to set any total for them to chase. By the last day, Gill and co had them fighting for survival. The Indian thinktank worked overtime to zero down on its combination for the second Test. They can argue it paid off. Now, they take Stokes’ men on at Lord’s in a few days’ time.
