In the second Test match being played in Birmingham, the Indian team was all out for 587 runs in their first innings. Following this, Jack Crawley and Ben Duckett took on the responsibility of opening the batting for England.
Sports News: Team India dealt a severe blow to England's 'Bazball' approach on the first day of the Edgbaston Test. Indian bowler Akashdeep Singh, who was included in this match in place of Jasprit Bumrah, proved with his performance that captain Shubman Gill's trust in him was not misplaced. In response to the massive score of 587 runs, England started scoring runs quickly with their renowned Bazball strategy.
The opening pair of Jack Crawley and Ben Duckett came onto the field and signaled that they weren't going to be under any pressure by smashing 12 runs in the first over itself. This over was bowled by Akashdeep, who was handling the ball for the first time in his Test career. Despite being hit in the initial over, he maintained his composure and made a brilliant comeback in his next over.
Akash Gives the First Breakthrough
In the second over, Akashdeep did what brought new energy to the Indian camp. In this over, he not only stopped the runs, putting pressure on England, but also put the brakes on the 'Bazball' momentum by taking two consecutive wickets. On the fourth ball of the over, he sent Ben Duckett back to the pavilion, who couldn't even open his account. Duckett played five balls, but made a mistake in trying to punch Akashdeep's length delivery outside off stump.
The ball took the outside edge of his bat and went to captain Shubman Gill, who was standing in the slips, to his left hand, and he took a brilliant catch, giving India the first breakthrough. Immediately after that, on the fifth ball of the over, Akashdeep also dismissed Ollie Pope. Pope tried to flick Akashdeep's full and angled ball, but the ball took the thick edge of the bat and went to KL Rahul at second slip.
Rahul juggled the ball in the first attempt, but in the second attempt, he caught the ball without any mistake, giving India the second success. Pope was out for a golden duck without opening his account. In the same over, Akashdeep also had a chance to take a hat-trick, but no wicket was taken on the next ball. Despite this, his over spoiled England's intentions of a fast start and caused a stir in the dressing room.
Akashdeep's Fury
Akashdeep, with his accurate line and length, showed that he does not only depend on seam movement, but is also adept at sensing the batsmen's mistakes. He had extra responsibility in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, which he fulfilled well. India had set a mountain-like score of 587 runs in the first innings, which included century innings from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill. But the real discussion is about Akashdeep's bowling, which deflated England's aggressive strategy.
