ENG vs IND: Body blow for Bazball as Shubman Gill's India storm Birmingham bastion
While Gill cashed in on one of the flattest pitches England has served up, Siraj and Akash Deep rose to the occasion in Bumrah's absence, outbowling England's own attack on home turf.One wicket leads to another!Akash Deep is on as he traps #HarryBrook in front & half of the English side is back in the hut!1-1 on the cards? ! #ENGvIND 2nd TEST, Day 5 | LIVE NOW on #JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/FdMUwYxChf— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 6, 2025'England can chase anything in the fourth innings'—that had become the Bazball gospel after the Ben Stokes-led side mowed down 371 at Headingley. Birmingham, too, held haunting memories for India, the site of England's record 378-run chase in 2022 that announced the birth of Bazball. And with Bumrah rested for workload management, the odds seemed stacked once again.But this young Indian side, under Gill, played with the poise of seasoned warriors and the audacity of a London crime syndicate. Banishing the ghosts of Leeds, they produced a clinical, ruthless display across all three departments, levelling the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 1-1 after two gripping Tests.England now find themselves in a spot of real bother. Their Bazball pride has taken a body blow. It's their heaviest home defeat since the Stokes-McCullum revolution began redefining Test cricket. More worryingly, England's bowling—led by Chris Woakes and flanked by rookies Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse—looked blunt and bereft of ideas. Their struggle raised fresh questions: can Bazball afford to thrive on such placid pitches, or has the very surface of their strategy begun to betray them?SHUBMAN GILL WALKS THE TALKIndia, by contrast, corrected every flaw exposed in Leeds. From dropping nine catches in the opener to pulling off sharp takes in Birmingham's slip cordon; from a brittle lower order to one that stood up with runs. All-rounders Ravindra Jadeja, with twin fifties, and Washington Sundar, with a vital 40 in the first innings, added steel to India's spine.advertisementIn fact, India were tottering at 211 for 5 in the first innings before Gill and Jadeja stitched together a match-defining 203-run stand for the sixth wicket, propelling India to a towering 587.Perhaps the most symbolic shift came from Gill himself. After the loss in Leeds, he had spoken bluntly about the top order's failure to convert starts—"daddy hundreds" were needed, not blame passed down to the tail. And in Birmingham, he delivered in emphatic style: 450 runs across two innings, the most ever by an Indian in a Test, eclipsing Sunil Gavaskar's 344 against West Indies in 1971.#ShubmanGill delivers a captain's classic, cracking a fluent 150 and steering India with flair against England! #ENGvIND 2nd TEST, Day 4 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar https://t.co/2wT1UwEcdi pic.twitter.com/egTz5Ranig— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 5, 2025Bumrah's omission and the decision to go in with three all-rounders over Kuldeep Yadav sparked chatter on Day 1. But by the time Gill had his "daddy hundred" on the board, the doubters were silenced. India hadn't carried the baggage from Leeds—they had come to Birmingham to make a statement. And they did, with thunder.- EndsTune InYou May Also Like
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India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
"We were overjoyed when he took 10 wickets..did not remember my problem": Akash Deep's sister, who is battling cancer
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 8 (ANI): Akash Deep's sensational 10-wicket haul in India's historic win over England at Edgbaston wasn't just a sporting triumph; it was a deeply personal one. As the young pacer tore through the English batting lineup, his sister, Akhand Jyoti Singh, who has been battling cancer for the past two months, felt immense joy and pride. 'Akash dedicated his victory to me, and I feel very proud of him... We were overjoyed when he took 10 wickets. We were all clapping here. I did not remember my sadness at all when he took wickets,' she told ANI. Akash revealed earlier after the match that he had kept his sister's illness private and was playing with one mission in mind, to make her happy. 'The biggest thing is that I have not told anyone yet. My elder sister has been suffering from cancer for the last two months. She is stable now. She is fine. She will be the happiest. She has been going through this mentally for the last two months,' Akash said in a heartfelt conversation with Cheteshwar Pujara. 'I was playing this match for her. I have to make her happy with this match,' he added. Akash's mother, Laddooma Devi, expressed immense pride in her son's performance, calling it the realisation of a long-cherished dream. 'I feel very proud... I am very happy... It was my dream that he should play for the Indian team... Maybe Akash takes 10-10 wickets like this. he should play like this for India in future,' she said. Coming to the match, England once again opted to field first. After getting KL Rahul (2) early, a 80-run stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal (87 in 107 balls, with 13 fours) and Karun Nair (31 in 50 balls, with five fours) helped India gain some footing in the match. Skipper Shubman Gill had valuable partnerships of 203 runs with Ravindra Jadeja (89 in 137 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and a 144-run stand against Washington Sundar (42 in 103 balls, with three fours and a six), helping India towards 587, scoring 269 in 387 balls himself, with 30 fours and three Bashir (3/167) was the pick of the bowlers for England, while Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue also managed two each. In England's first innings, India had them on the ropes with 84/5. However, a 303-run stand between Harry Brook (158 in 234 balls, with 17 fours and a six) and wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith (184* in 207 balls, with 21 fours and four sixes) sent India on an endless hunt for leather and answers. However, Siraj (6/70) and Akash Deep (4/88) got something out of the new ball and tumbled down the last five wickets for 20 runs, bundling them down for 407 runs, gaining a 180-run lead. India's response was a swift half-century partnership between Jaiswal (28 in 22 balls, with six fours) and KL Rahul, who also continued his good run with a 10-boundary-filled 55 in 84 balls. A 110-run stand for the fourth wicket between Rishabh Pant (65 in 58 balls, with eight fours and three sixes) and Gill upped the attack, while Gill managed yet another epic 175-run stand with Jadeja, scoring 161 in 162 balls, with 13 fours and eight sixes. Jadeja scored an unbeaten 69* in 118 balls, with five fours and a six. India declared at 427/6, leading by 607 runs and setting England a monstrous 608 runs to win. During the run-chase, England was restricted to 50/3. Jamie Smith (88 in 99, with nine fours and four sixes) was the only glimmer of hope for England as they were skittled out for just 271 runs, losing by 336 runs, thanks to a brilliant spell from Akash Deep (6/99), who ended up taking a ten-fer. (ANI)
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Clamour for Lord's tickets as Gill & Co. crushes England in Edgbaston
Kolkata: The Indian team's victory at Edgbaston on Sunday fuelled a rush among Kolkata travellers in England and city cricket fans to catch the Lord's Test from July 10. Travel agents say they have been receiving calls for a last-minute trip, while those already in the UK are altering their travel plans to accommodate a visit to London during the match. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As Shubhman Gill and his team pulled off a spectacular win against England, levelling the series 1-1, Kolkata cricket fan Mahesh Punjabi and his group of 11 friends started regrouping to arrange a quick trip to England. "We were supposed to travel to the UK last week to watch Wimbledon, but it got cancelled. Initially, we were not interested in the India-England series since the Men in Blue were without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and we believed there wouldn't be a real contest. But the way Gill's young team outplayed England made us rethink. It could be difficult, but we are still planning a dash to Lord's by July 10-11," said Punjabi. Punjabi has been to Australia, Dubai, England, the US, West Indies, and South Africa to watch the Men in Blue in action with his friends, who call themselves 'The 12th Man'. Gill's record-breaking knocks and Akash Deep's Sunday heroics reignited interest in the series, which could lead many, now in England for vacation and to visit family and friends, to try and grab a Lord's ticket, said Manav Soni of the Travel Agents Association of India. Kolkata student Vikram Tejwani, who studies in Scotland, has decided to travel to England after India's stellar performance in the second Test. "I have planned to watch the Lord's Test from the stands with my friends," he said. On the website Viagogo, the price of a Lord's Test ticket ranges between Rs 23,421 and Rs 28,443. The site is still offering 261 tickets for the first day. The win sparked off a demand for Lord's Test tickets among fans, especially those who are already in England, said Anil Punjabi, committee member of the Travel Agents' Federation of India (TAFI). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The interest level has suddenly gone up after India showed that they are good enough to win the series. Watching a match at Lord's is always the perfect icing on a London visit, especially for cricket lovers. We have started receiving requests for tickets from those who travelled through my agency," said Punjabi. Thousands from Kolkata travel to England for vacation and to visit family and friends during May-June, said Soni. "At least a thousand have travelled to watch the Test matches. The Lord's Test is always a big attraction, and we have been receiving requests for tickets. Now, with India staging a comeback, those already in the UK are altering plans to accommodate a trip to London and bet at the Lord's. This summer will be a big Indian one in England, and if the team plays well, there will be late travellers, too," said Soni.
Economic Times
3 hours ago
- Economic Times
Akash Deep bowled 'ball of the series' to Root: Sachin Tendulkar
Reuters Akash Deep celebrates after taking the wicket of England's Joe Root The legendary Sachin Tendulkar hailed Akash Deep as the "standout bowler" of the match and described his delivery to dismiss Joe Root in the second innings as the "ball of the series," following India's emphatic 336-run series-levelling win in the second Test at Edgbaston. Akash Deep returned figures of 6 for 99 in the second innings to complete a match haul of 10 for 187, while Mohammed Siraj claimed seven wickets across both innings to help power India to victory. Tendulkar was full of praise on 'X'. "India's approach was to take England out of this game and force them to play differently, making sure that there would only be 1 winner. What impressed me most about the bowlers was the length they bowled. "Needless to say, Akash Deep was the standout bowler, and in my opinion, he bowled the ball of the series to Joe Root," Tendulkar wrote. On a funny note, he also didn't forget to mention Siraj's diving catch at short mid-wicket. "Enjoyed the catch taken by Mohammad "Jonty" Siraj," the owner of 51 Test hundreds commented. Tendulkar also praised the batting effort which set up an easy win. The recently retired Virat Kohli wrote: "Great victory for India at Edgbaston. Fearless and kept pushing England to the wall. Brilliantly led by Shubman with the bat and in the field and impactful performances from everyone. Special mention to Siraj and Akash for the way they bowled on this pitch." Another former India skipper Sourav Ganguly was all praise for Shubman Gill and his team. "What a performance from shubman gill and his team.. with the bat and now with the (sic) and Siraj just brilliant .indian attack looking far superior than the English attack .. Akasdeep (sic) and Siraj are workhorses. india win without be better result with the fantastic Gill in charge. What a fantastic batting effort," Ganguly wrote on X. NCA director VVS Laxman said: "Well done, Team India on an exceptional victory! It was amazing to see the team's fighting spirit and resilience. Congratulations Shubman on an outstanding match with the bat and for leading the team with such poise. "A great start to your captaincy. Also great effort from Shiraj and Akashdeep. Wishing you all the best for your future matches," Laxman further added.
