India's historic win at Edgbaston: Gill hails Akash Deep's spell as turning point
At the post-match press conference, Gill pointed to Akash Deep's fiery spell on Day 4, as he dismissed England batters Ben Duckett and Joe Root.
'Yesterday, I think, getting through the top order is never easy,' Gill said.
'The spell of Akash Deep, how he got those two wickets, kind of gave the confidence to everyone that we can win this Test match and when he came in this morning with the ball hitting the cracks, yes, the ball was seaming, the odd ball seaming, that's what really instilled the confidence in all of the players that, yes, we can do it,' he added.
Akash Deep returned with phenomenal match figures of 10/187 (4/88 and 6/99), breaking Chetan Sharma's long-standing record (10/188) of the best bowling figures by an Indian in a Test match in England.
Another tactical masterstroke that paid dividends for India was the selection of Washington Sundar over Kuldeep Yadav, a move that raised eyebrows before the match. Gill addressed the decision, highlighting the need for batting depth and control in spinning conditions.
'It is very tempting when you have a bowler like Kuldeep. One of the reasons why I wanted to play Washington was because he gives us batting depth,' said Gill.
'In the first innings, I think the partnership between me and Washington, if it wasn't for that partnership, then our lead would have been 70-80-90 runs, which is psychologically very different from 180,' he noted.
Washington Sundar contributed a vital 42 runs in the first innings and later dismissed Ben Stokes in the second innings, underlining his all-round value. Gill elaborated on the team's strategy behind selecting a finger spinner.
'Even on the 5th day, the ball was not moving that much from the middle, it was just moving through the roughness. We thought that maybe if our first batting comes, then maybe on a 5th day wicket, the finger spinner will give us more control if the ball is moving from the wicket and especially on such wickets, sometimes more than fast bowling, the spin gives you more control,' Gill explained.
Looking ahead to the third Test at Lord's, the Indian captain remained open to reassessing the bowling combination.
'So that was our mindset, but now we will see what kind of wicket they are giving at Lord's,' he added. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
FC Goa complete foreign quota with Timor, Moreno signings
David Timor has seven years experience of playing in La Liga where he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo Panaji: Despite the uncertainty surrounding the future of the top-tier Indian Super League (ISL), FC Goa have completed their foreign quota for the season, with the signing of experienced Spanish midfielder David Timor and centre-back Pol Moreno. Timor, who has seven years' experience of playing in La Liga, where he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo , arrives as a replacement for Carl McHugh. The midfielder has played over 400 games in the top tiers of Spanish football. A product of the Valencia youth setup, Timor has played for La Liga teams like Osasuna, Girona, Valladolid, Leganes, Getafe and Las Palmas. 'There are not too many players with his kind of profile in Indian football,' said a senior official. 'David has rich experience, and has always been dependable. He can win the ball in midfield, switch play and he is unafraid to take a shot at goal. He will have a huge role to play for FC Goa this season.' Moreno, the other Spaniard in the team, will also have a significant role to play as a replacement for captain Odei Onaindia, who chose to return home to Spain due to personal reasons. With almost 100 matches and nearly 7,000 minutes for Racing Santander, his last club where he spent four years in La Liga 2, Moreno will be partnering India captain Sandesh Jhingan in central defence. He has spent time in different divisions in Spain and then moved to GIF Sundsvall in the Swedish top tier. The signings of Timor and Moreno mean Goa will have six foreign players for the AFC Champions League Two Playoff against Oman champions Al Seeb at Fatorda on August 13. The other foreign signings include Dejan Drazic, Iker Guarrotxena, Borja Herrera and Javier Siverio.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
34 minutes ago
- First Post
India vs England: Vexed Shubman Gill confronts Zak Crawley with fiery message at the stroke of stumps on day 3 at Lord's
The time-wasting tactics enabled by England openers left India captain Shubman Gill frustrated. Gill did not refrain from giving Zak Crawley a mouthful at the stroke of Stumps on Day 3 at Lord's. read more Day 3 of the Lord's Test culminated on a dramatic note as India captain Shubman Gill showcased his animated side to England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. After restricting India to 387 - the same total at which England had bundled out in the first innings - the hosts came out to bat with the intention to see out the remaining five minutes without losing any wicket. India, on the other hand, wanted to make the English batters face the music for at least two overs, but Crawley and Duckett foiled India's plans by successfully enabling time-wasting tactics. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read | KL Rahul becomes first Indian to achieve this feat in nearly 30 years with second century at Lord's Drama before stumps India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah started the proceedings with the ball but his over witnessed multiple delays after he had bowled the first two balls of the over. Zak Crawley was seemingly in no hurry to play the next delivery. He got away from the crease just when Bumrah was about to bowl the delivery. This vexed Shubman Gill who did not refrain from making hand gestures and hurling a strong-worded message towards the England openers. 'Grow some f****** b****,' Gill was on the face of Crawley as it took a long time to get things going despite just two balls being bowled in the over. The drama resumed after a few balls, this time Crawley complained about being in discomfort after Bumrah's ball brushed his glove. Crawley's act met with what seemed to be sarcastic applause from Bumrah and Co. Gill once again came into the picture and had a war of words with Crawley, ending in a stare-off between the two. The over eventually concluded and as did the day. England reached 2/0 at stumps on Day 3. Also Read | 'Stupid Stupid Stupid': Rishabh Pant slammed by experts and fans after getting run-out at stroke of lunch at Lord's Lord's Test hangs in balance Earlier, KL Rahul's flawless century and handy contributions by Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja helped India match England's first innings total of 387. Rahul was the top scorer in India's innings. He notched his second Lord's century off 177 balls. Unfortunately, he could not take the innings beyond the 100-run mark. Pant contributed 74 off 112 balls before getting run out by Ben Stokes while going for an unnecessary single, ending a fourth-wicket partnership of 141 runs with Rahul at the stroke of lunch, while Jadeja displayed consistency again, this time chipping in with a vital 131-ball 72. As no team could muster a lead after 1st innings, the match hangs in balance. It will be intriguing to see what the Day 4 will have in store.
India Gazette
35 minutes ago
- India Gazette
An insider's tale into current affairs of Indian football
New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): Books on Indian football are far and few, as few as the successes of the Indian National Team in the international arena. Though one of the most followed sports, football has suffered a series of setbacks in India and has reached an all-time low, chiefly because of administrative lapses. Once the champions of Asia, the Indian men's National Team are now ranked 133 in the FIFA rankings and stand 24th in Asia. Veteran journalist Jaydeep Basu, in his latest book, 'Who Stole My Football', has given a fascinating account of the reasons behind the rapid downfall of Indian football since September 2022. As the name of the book suggests, Basu has clearly blamed the officials who have run the All India Football Federation for the past three years. According to the writer, the AIFF President, Kalyan Chaubey, and his executive committee are responsible for the current mess of Indian football administration, which has seen frequent changes of secretary generals and national coaches since September 2022. Basu has given a detailed account of how poorly the AIFF handled the senior men's national team, which resulted in its poor performance, and how Croatian coach Igor Stimac was sacked without following proper procedure. The writer argued that the unprofessional termination of Stimac cost the AIFF more than Rs. three crores as compensation after the Croatian coach threatened to complain to the world body, FIFA. The book has also dealt with the allegations of financial mismanagement that have hit the AIFF during Chaubey's regime. The writer has quoted in detail the letters written by more than one person closely associated with the game and has also chronicled Chaubey's rebuttals. According to him, the entire episode has left the Indian football community deeply disturbed. Spread over 130 pages, overall, the book is an interesting read, and Basu, like a journalist, has remained true to the picture he aimed to portray with quotes and versions from all the important football officials. As his writing style is absorbing and pacy, the followers of Indian football will definitely like to read it.(ANI)
