JAI HO: Skipper Shubman Gill and explosive Akash Deep sink English pride

Shubman Gill may have given a small piece of news away, inadvertently, when he said on Sunday Jasprit Bumrah would be available for the third Test against England, starting at the Lord’s on July 10. Speaking to media after India’s massive 366-run in what is turning out to be an engaging series, Gill said it would be exciting to have Bumrah back in the attack.

For sure, Gill deserves all the credit for not only winning the second Test where rain and conditions were not easy to handle. Most important, the captain led by example, scoring runs with elegance and authority against a rag-tag English attack. Before one jumps and asks why no mention is being made of Akash Deep right away, hang on. It was Gill who was stepping into a voyage into the unknown. For those who feel coach Gautam Gambhir has made the difference, do not get carried away. Cricket is not a team sport like football where the coach/manager makes and takes important decisions. The ideation and execution have to be done on the field, which was the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham.

For those who have watched Shubman Gill the skipper in the Indian Premier League, notably the 2025 edition, he has taken captaincy as his own job. More so, when the Gujarat Titans have in coach Ashish Nehra someone who is standing at the boundary line and wants to keep engaging and egging the players on. No, if you had watched the IPL matches this summer, Gill was making plenty of decisions, all along. That the team peaked early and did not come near winning the title is not important.

Obviously, leadership was seen in Gill and he is now blossoming. Rewind to the first Test at Edgbaston, India lost and Gill spoke positively. He took responsibility and did no run down any player. That was an indicator, he is learning the nuances of leadership. It is not easy to be captain in England, more so as Gill he was not really groomed by the previous captains. To say Gill is talented would be like stating HCF (hot chocolate fudge) is tasty. To bat and to skipper the side, Gill has shown a refreshing approach.

When he spoke of the conditions in Birmingham and said flat tracks were not going to do good to the bowlers, his point was valid. Of course, he also did mention, scoring runs, a bucketful of them in Birmingham, was something he enjoyed. Lest pessimist fans say he scored as the wicket was easy, don’t be uncharitable or illiterate. Gill has blossomed and his approach in two Tests at the No.4 position is a delight to watch. Again, do not be nasty when you say Gill is the right choice at No.4 and Virat Kohli was a spent force.

Where Gill has ensured his fast-bowling battery has stood out is in giving them opportunity and also rotating them. Sample this, the kind of field he had set for Akash Deep, who bowled his heart out in the second innings was smart. At the same time, when Ravindra Jadeja was exploiting the rough, he has placed almost six fielders, including wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant close-in. It tells you Gill is aware of the conditions and how to out pressure. Of course, the stump mic also did pick up few Hindi phrases, which were more than cheeky!

The Duke ball in use in England is looking soft after 20 odd overs. How the bowler ‘manages’ it after that and has to keep firing away was defined by Akash Deep. The 28-year old bowler’s 10-wicket haul for 187 runs is the best match figures by any Indian Test bowler in England.  It is even better than what Chetan Sharma achieved in 1986 in England when he took 10/188. At that time, the wicket and conditions in England were vastly different. Are the curators to blame or the English captain Ben Stokes, a proponent of Bazball wants flat tracks, is not clear. What looks more amplified, the English bowlers looks average. There is none as classy and dedicated as Jimmy Anderson or Stuart Broad. If anything, Lord’s, venue for the third Test, will be hot. You cannot expect a wicket full of life in a hot English summer.

So, Akash Deep has to be compared with conditions and how he bowled in the second Test. A few facts about this bearded 28-year-old from Bihar who has learnt more by playing in Kolkata. Akash has no pretentions he is educated in schools where English speaking is mandatory. His TV interviews have been in Hindi, when the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was being built up. Akash Deep spoke of how performing in England will be a dream come true.

He realised the dream in Birmingham, where his performance in both the innings was defining. To say he was not getting any support from the track is stating the obvious. Watching him ready to bowl his 22^nd over in the second innings is a good sign of health and focus. And then he spoke of how he wants to see a smile on his elder sister’s face, battling cancer. He said she is doing better in the last two months, but holding the ball and one stump after the win, you could see the emotions of a fast bowler whose heart wandered back to Bihar. Get the context, how an athlete has to forget his own pain and emotions. Play for India, Jai Ho Akash Deep.