Cricket news: Excellent Shubman Gill shines as India outclass England to level Test series
India secured a thumping 336-run victory over England to secure their maiden Test triumph at Edgbaston to tie the series at 1-1 in this epic five-match encounter.
Whether it be a bowling clinic from Akash Deep or a batting masterclass from Shubman Gill, the home side were outplayed in all departments.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Bilal Patel analyses the key moments from all the action in Birmingham.
No Bumrah, no problem for Indian Pace attack
Many were shocked to see Jasprit Bumrah rested for the second Test after the opening Test loss at Leeds.
But the Indian bowlers rallied as the likes of Mohammed Siraj and the inclusion of Deep stood up for the visitors and contributed to their team’s victory.
Siraj was much improved from the first Test picking up six wickets in the first innings this time around.
The 31-year-old joined Bumrah in being the only Indian bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul in Tests in Australia, England, South Africa and the West Indies.
Deep made the ball talk as he picked up 10 wickets in the match, which also included six wickets in the final innings to seal the win for India.
With Bumrah eyeing a return for the third Test at Lord’s, it will be pleasing for the coaching staff to see the pacers firing like they did.
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Gill’s record-breaking Test
After opening his captaincy stint in Tests with a disappointing loss, Gill did not let that affect him as he continued to pile on the runs to go along with his century at Headingley.
The captain led by example on a relatively flat pitch as he scored 269 and 161 runs to break all sorts of records.
The 25-year-old scored the most runs (430) by an Indian batter in a single Test match and the runs he made across both innings were the most scored by anyone against England in a Test match.
Only England’s Graham Gooch had scored more runs (456) than him in a single Test.
India’s skipper also became the first player to have a score of 250 and 150 in the same Test match.
He has already racked up 585 runs in the series with three matches to go and has seen his batting average take an incredible jump, going from the mid-30s to 42.72 in this recent Test alone.
Very ordinary bowling from hosts allow India to dominate
England’s success in the opening Test meant they stuck with the same side that got the job done in Leeds.
That meant the underwhelming pace attack from the first Test which only benefitted from India’s freak collapses, once again failed to offer much threat with the ball in hand as the Indian batters settled into a rhythm from day one.
The likes of Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse did not use the new ball as effectively as the Indian bowlers did and Tongue was unable to replicate his bowling successes this time around.
The pacers struggled to keep a lid on things in the third innings as India scored quickly to set a target of over 600 that proved to be out of reach for this English side who are renowned for their spectacular last-inning chases.
Brendon McCullum and the selectors could be forced to tweak their approach.
Some change to the line-up is expected for the next Test with the likes of Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson raring to go.
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England’s top-order batters falter
On a pitch that aided new-ball bowlers, England threw their wickets away early on as in both innings they were five wickets down for under 100 runs.
This is the first time the home side have suffered this blow since the Ashes Test against Australia at Headingley in 2009.
But after being 84-5 in the first innings, Harry Brook (158) and Jamie Smith (180*) each scored centuries to put up a mammoth 303-run partnership to pull the hosts closer to India’s first-innings score.
However, their hard work was quickly undone as the hosts lost their last five wickets for just 20 runs to give India the edge.
Even though England scored 407, there were six ducks in that innings which would be a cause for concern going forward.
And towards the end of the match, when all the home side could do was bat for a draw, no one was able to stay put and bat out the overs needed to survive and save the match.
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