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India's Akash Deep, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of England's Ollie Pope. (AP)
With the Shubman Gill-led Indian team taking a 180-run first innings lead against England in the second Test at Edgbaston, Mohammed Siraj’s six-wicket spell coupled with Akash Deep’s four-wicket haul was the highlight of the day for the Indian team. With India leading by 244 runs with nine wickets in hand in their second innings, India will once again look towards Siraj and Akash Deep to make dents in England’s batting once the target is set. Pacer Akash Deep, who picked up four wickets in England’s first innings, talked about how coach Gautam Gambhir motivated him to give his best.
“He (Gautam Gambhir) kept sharing his experience with me. What a player needs from a coach in terms of confidence, he has given me. And his confidence in me only has reflected in this match. When you know that your coach is backing you, then you get the confidence and it gets reflected in the match. He was telling me I don’t even know what skills I have. So that’s motivating when the coach says that. He along with Morne Morkel kept reminding me of my strengths,” Akash Deep told reporters after the end of third day’s play.
The Indian pacer was picked in place of Jasprit Bumrah for the second Test with the Indian team management deciding to rest Bumrah. He picked up the wickets of Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope off consecutive deliveries on the second day before he accounted for the fall of a well set Harry Brook and breaking the 303-run partnership between Brook and Jamie Smith.
The right-arm pacer would also talk about the kind of flat wickets the Indian team is encountering during the tour and the challenge. “The kind of wickets and the kind of batting England has, it poses a challenge. As a bowler, you have things like disciplined bowling, bowling in your areas and bowling according to your plan in your hands on such kinds of pitches. So I believe when you keep things simple and go into the match with your plan and try to execute your plans, it’s not difficult. Whether conditions are easy or difficult and whatever the batting is, it becomes easier for us. Result will come in favour one day and it will not come in favour the other day but sticking to this makes things easier for you,” he said.
England recovered after being 84 for 5 with Brook and Smith stitching together a 303-run partnership for the sixth wicket but Siraj and Akash Deep made sure that England lost quick wickets with the second new ball. Akash Deep also talked about his conversation with Siraj. “We kept talking about what’s working and what’s not working. One thing which we kept talking about was that we have to maintain pressure as a pair. We will bowl in our areas and will not concede runs. Whether we get the wicket or not. With the first new ball, I was attacking and Siraj was stopping the runs. So it gave me the freedom to bowl freely. That was important,” said the Indian pacer.
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