‘Akash Deep cheated Joe Root’: Saba Karim gives brutal verdict on Indian pacer’s unique delivery
New Delhi: India finished their 10-year Test drought at Edgbaston in style as Shubman Gill-led side defeated England by 336 runs to level the ongoing five-match series, 1-1. The hosts collapsed to 271 while chasing 608. Though India’s batters set the stage with powerful shows in both innings, it was the bowlers, especially Akash Deep, who got decisive breakthroughs.
The dismissal of the best English batter, Joe Root, was the brightest of his six wickets in the second game. Akash was bowling wide of the crease, and angled the ball in towards the off-stump and invited Root to aim the face of his bat at the same stump, hoping it may hold its line. But, the ball deviated sharply off the seam, beating him all ends up and hitting the top of off stump.
The ex India selector Saba Karim did not hesitate to laud the delivery on Sony Sports hailing that Akash Deep had “cheated” off Root with the uniqueness of the ball.
“Akash Deep was talking about feeling cheated by the wicket as it was like an Indian wicket, but here he cheated Joe Root. When you are angling the ball in from wide of the crease, the batter is forced to think that the ball will come in only from that angle,” he said.
“If the ball straightens after pitching, what can the batter do? If you bowl such a ball to a great batter, it was definitely an unplayable delivery. Not only Joe Root, but 99.9 percent of the batters would have played like that towards the onside. Joe Root also tried that, and Akash Deep literally opened up Joe Root,” Saba observed.
10-wicket haul for Akash Deep
The 27-year old finished the game with a bowling tally of 10/161, 4 wickets in the 1st innings and 6 in the 2 nd a first ten-wicket haul on debut in only the 8 th Test he played. Although everyone touted Shubman Gill after his twin centuries and the overall dominance of the Indian batting capability, Akash Deep showed the fierceness and sharpness in the second innings that gave the England the fatal nail on the coffin.
Now that Shubman Gill has confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah will be fit to play in the third Test at Lords, all the attentions will focus on the Indian team selection call, especially who will be dropped among the eleven players who tore England apart so mercilessly at Edgbaston.
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