Subhayan Chakraborty in Birmingham
Akash Deep came to the Edgbaston Test on the back of a slight back niggle that troubled him throughout the IPL. It was one of the reasons he didn’t feature in either of the two India A games or the opening Test against England in Leeds. Rather than playing, the Bengal pacer focused on increasing his load in the nets and fine-tuning his skills with the Dukes ball.
Before Day 2 of the Edgbaston Test, Akash had no experience of bowling with that make of a cricket ball except for in the nets. However, when handed the new ball in the final session of Day 2, Akash put India on the front foot by taking wickets off consecutive deliveries in his second over, dismissing the two English century-makers from Headingley — Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope.
After the toss at Edgbaston, most pundits and former cricketers wondered who would lead the charge for India in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested due to workload management. While the visitors brought in Washington Sundar to add batting depth and provide an off-spin option, taking wickets with the new Dukes ball before it softened was seen as critical on a flat Birmingham deck. After the English pacers struggled to take regular wickets, Akash turned the tables for India and left the hosts sweating by the end of the second day.
Akash tried to find swing in his first over, bowling a full length against Zak Crawley. The England opener responded with two exquisite straight drives, taking 12 runs off the over. The bowler quickly realised there was no movement in the air and, in his second over, shortened his length against Duckett. On the fourth delivery, Akash hit the perfect line and length, just in the fourth-fifth stump region, catching the left-hander in two minds whether to play forward or back. With minimal feet movement, Duckett poked at the ball, sending it straight to Shubman Gill, who took a sharp catch to his left at third slip after making 269 with the bat.
The demolition job had begun. Remember Bumrah’s delivery to Crawley in the first innings of the Headingley Test? While not as picturesque, Akash produced a similar one against Pope. The ball came in sharply with his trademark angle and seamed away just enough to catch the edge, which went to KL Rahul at second slip, who juggled but held on to help India claim two wickets in two balls.
Mohammed Siraj followed it up by dismissing Crawley for 19 in what was a near-perfect final hour for the Indian team, who are not only aiming to register their first-ever Test win at Edgbaston but also to level the five-match series at 1-1.
Not only is Akash a wicket-taker, he is also game for long spells. He bowled seven overs on the bounce to start his England tour, finishing with two wickets. During the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Akash induced many false shots from the Australians, prompting Steve Smith to praise him. He may have been unlucky on that tour, but with this start in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Akash is poised to lead the charge. His real challenge will be to return on Day 3 and maintain the same intensity with a semi-new or old Dukes ball, which tends to soften and become easier for batters.