"Gill is in a different zone, Akash Deep complemented Siraj well": Sarandeep Singh after Birmingham win
A historic outing with the bat by skipper Shubman Gill, a ten-wicket haul by pacer Akash Deep were the highlights of a total team effort as India ended their winless streak at Birmingham, securing a 336-run win over England during the second Test on the final day on Sunday.
Speaking to ANI after the match, Sarandeep said about the win, 'It is a tremendous victory. England has never lost a match in Birmingham. Today, a new era has started. The most remarkable aspect is that we have won without Bumrah, and even in the absence of (Virat) Kohli and Rohit (Sharma), the batters have performed exceptionally well.'
Shubman is in a different zone since taking up the captaincy, he helped India take such a huge lead. Our four batters, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant all have centuries to their name,' he added.
Sarandeep also expressed happiness with the bowling, saying that Akash Deep complemented Mohammed Siraj really well, as Akash Deep took a ten-wicket haul and Siraj took a total of seven wickets, including a six-fer in the first innings.
'Credit must also go to pacers. There was a lot of talk about them. Akash Deep complemented Siraj really well. They have done a magnificent job,' he added.
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 sixes.
Shoaib 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.
Gill took home the 'Player of the Match' as India levelled the series 1-1. (ANI)
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