Credit: BCCI
On day five of the second Test in the five-match series for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the Indian cricket team scripted history by winning a Test match for the first-time ever at Edgbaston in Birmingham against England. Akash Deep took a six-wicket haul for India in their defence of 607-run total, to ensure that they won the Test match by a massive margin of 336 runs, to level the series at 1-1.
For the unversed, the fifth and final day of the contest had the start delayed by more than an hour and a half due to rain, but when the first session did begin, Akash Deep was on the charge with the ball for India. He cleaned-up Ollie Pope with a chop-on before trapping Harry Brook in front of the stumps for an lbw, with the batter having no idea about the late inward deviation of the ball off the pitch.
It led to a 70-run stand for the sixth wicket between England captain Ben Stokes and Jamie Smith, but at the stroke of lunch, Washington Sundar trapped the former in front of the stumps lbw, to give a body blow to the opposition. In the second session on day five, Jamie Smith and Chris Woakes shared a 46-run stand for the seventh wicket before Praisdh Krishna bounced out the latter.
Just a couple of overs later, Akash Deep bowled a brilliant slower ball, to deceive a well-set Jamie Smith, who was looking to take the bowling on. The right-handed batter found the fielder on the leg -side boundary while trying to clear the ropes, losing his wicket on 88 runs in 99 balls with nine fours and four sixes, which meant that Akash Deep took the maiden five-wicket haul in his Test career.
No. 10 Josh Tongue batted for 29 balls while scoring just two runs in his innings before finding Mohammed Siraj at short mid-wicket, who took a sensational catch on the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja, to bring India one-wicket away from the big victory. The last batting pair of Brydon Carse and Shoaib Bashir did blunt the Indian bowlers for a few overs before Akash Deep got the wicket of the former, the final one of the Test match with Indian captain Shubman Gill taking the catch, to confirm India’s maiden Test win at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
Akash Deep ended up with six wickets in the second innings, and a 10-wicket match bag against England, to etch his name in the history books before celebrating the moment in style with his Indian teammates.
