Follow Us:
But, the biggest explosion happened when Sachin Tendulkar himself declared one of Akash’s balls as the “best ball of the series”.
Yes, the ball with which Akash Deep dismissed Joe Root, leaving Jasprit Bumrah behind, pleased Tendulkar’s heart!
Akash Deep’s magic
Akash Deep did wonders in the match. He took 6 wickets for 99 runs in the second innings and 10 wickets in the entire match. His bowling turned the England batsmen around in such a way that they could not stay at the crease.
Especially the ball that clean bowled Joe Root was such that everyone kept watching.
Sachin wrote on ‘X’, “Akash Deep bowled brilliantly. According to me, his ball to Joe Root was the best of the series.”
And yes, Tendulkar liked Mohammad Siraj’s diving catch at short midwicket so much that he jokingly called Siraj “Jonty” Siraj!
This game plan of India was also amazing. By putting pressure on England, they forced them to forget their ‘Bazball’ style.
The pair of Akash and Siraj kept such a length in bowling that the England batsmen were just staring.
Siraj also took 7 wickets in both the innings and played a big role in the victory.
Shubman Gill’s Dhamaal
India left no stone unturned in batting as well. Captain Shubman Gill scored a brilliant century and also showed amazing fielding.
Sourav Ganguly wrote in praise of Gill, “Shubman and his team did wonders with both bat and ball. India registered such a big win even without Bumrah, this is the wonder of Gill’s captaincy.”
VVS Laxman also congratulated Gill and said, “Great start to captaincy. Akash and Siraj also performed brilliantly.”
However, there was some controversy over Akash Deep’s ball. Some people are calling it a ‘no ball’, which angered the fans of England.
But Sachin’s support and Akash’s performance prove that the ball was really special.
For now, the third Test will be held at Lord’s on July 10. India is tied at 1-1, and under Gill’s captaincy, the team is ready to make a splash in the third Test as well.