Boria Majumdar in Birmingham
There is something about watching young fast bowlers. The skill and the hunger to make things work. The joy when things finally fall in place and the ecstasy that one feels seeing something fantastic unfold.
Akash Deep’s spell in the last hour of Day 4 was one such experience. He was on song from the very first over. The ball to Ben Duckett where India lost a review was the perfect example of skill. Even the great Mohammed Shami, who Akash models himself on, would have been proud to bowl that one. It pitched on middle, and just as Duckett was trying to come forward, moved a shade to beat him all ends up, before settling into the gloves of the keeper. On the way, it had kissed the pad and the deviation meant the Indians had gone up in appeal. Duckett was saved, but only for the time being.
If the review was of a perfect out-swinger to the left-hander, the one which got Duckett was the ball that came in. Yet again, Duckett was committed and that’s when it started to come back. The inside edge came in the way and soon, it was the sound of timber. Akash had taken a much-deserved wicket and India their second.
In every sense, it was a magic spell and now the bowler was pitted against the great Joe Root. He is clearly the world’s best batter at the moment and India needed him early to breathe easy by the end of the day’s play. From the very first ball, Akash was troubling Root. He was getting movement and bowling at a good pace. But it is one thing to be bowling well and very different to get a great batter out. Root, as he has done many times in the past, was prepared to look ugly and survive.
That’s when the dream ball came. Akash had gone slightly wide to bowl that delivery and it was angled in to Root. Just when the legendary batter was coming forward to defend, the ball straightened. It was just about enough to evade the bat and crash into his off stump. Root had ended up playing inside the line and was castled all ends up. It was well and truly a dream delivery and Shubman Gill’s reaction — he just kept patting his bowler for it — said it all. India had their man and they were into the English middle-order.
From what we have seen on the fourth evening, there is every reason to believe India will produce seven good balls on Day 5. Or better still, they will create enough pressure to induce mistakes off not so good balls! The fact is that out of 540 deliveries to be bowled, India need seven on the money.
With the ball still relatively new and a second new ball to be available should it be needed, every Indian supporter should fancy a win. Fortress Edgbaston could indeed be breached and if it happens, it will be no less a win than at the Gabba. With no rain forecast 11 am onwards, England will have to bat the best they have in recent times to survive this one. And Akash Deep, may I say, will have other id