IND vs Eng | ‘He reminds me of …’: Akash Deep Gautam Gambhir opens on the Pep talk, before the Edgbaston Test | Cricket news
New Delhi: Indian Pacer Mohammad Siraj claimed six wickets, while Akash Deep chose four as India on Friday gave England the first innings of 180 runs by bowling England for 407 on the second Test in Edgbaston. The hosts staged a strong return through middle-order batsmen Harry Brook and Jamie Smith, but the Indian bowlers eventually broke.In stumps at day 3, India was 64 for 1 in its second innings, leading to their overall lead to 244 runs. KL Rahul (28*) and Karun Nair (7*) were unbeaten at the crease.Back 0–1 in the five-match series, India opted to rest Paes Spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for workload management. In his place, Akash Deep was brought into the Shee – and the debut did not disappoint.Siraj (6/70) carried out significant attacks in the morning, removing Joe Root (22) and Ben Stokes (0), while Akash Deep (4/88) ended the 303-Rran partnership between Brooke (158) and Smith (184*).Before Siraj cleaned the tail – before sending Bridan cars, Josh tongue and Shoaib Bashir back for ducks, he rejected Chris Woakes (5).“Main Mookan’s Bere Mein Nahhi Sochta. Main Sirf Ye thinking will be needed by Jab team, Main Epina Best Doon [I don’t think about opportunities. I focus on giving my best whenever the team needs me]“Akash Deep told reporters at the end of day 3.He said, “bowling on this pitch and a challenge against this batting lineup, but keeping things simple always helps – despite the circumstances,” he said.Akash credited Gautam Gambhir and Morne Morkel to boost his confidence before the match.Akash Deep said, “Morkel and Gambhir shared their experiences with me before the match and gave me a lot of confidence. He had a positive conversation with me and kept reminding me of his strength.”
He said, “I also thought that the ball would be swing and seam in England, but after following the matches here, I realized that they usually play on such wickets,” he said.On playing his first test and idea on what ahead lying, he said: “I am not thinking about the future right now – my attention is still on this match.”
