PTI FILE PHOTO
Although captain Shubman Gill was deservedly the Player of the Match in the second Test for his once-in-a-lifetime performance that could stand the test of time, the stars of the emphatic 336-run win over England were fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep. The duo bowled their hearts out on a lifeless Edgbaston pitch to bag 17 of the 20 England wickets to fall, ensuring the absence of pace ace Jasprit Bumrah — rested as part of workload management — was never felt.
While Siraj got just reward for the complete zeal he plays with every game with a six-wicket haul in the first innings, Akash, used mostly as a back-up when frontline options are unavailable, showed he’s no less talented than the others with a six-for in the second innings that saw him bag his maiden five-wicket and 10-wicket hauls in a Test.
A delighted Gill applauded Akash and Siraj, saying he has no words to describe their heroic show. “They were absolutely good bowlers. Both of them, I think, took close to 16-17 (17 actually) wickets in the Test match. And that itself is a big, big achievement.” said Gill at the post-match press conference on Sunday before confirming that Bumrah will play the third Test starting at Lord’s on July 10.