Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 7 : Former cricketer and coach Lalchand Rajput has classified the pace troika of Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj as India's "lethal bowling weapon" ahead of the "crucial" Lord's Test.
India ended its decades-long victory hiatus at Edgbaston with an inspired batting performance from captain Shubman Gill and scorching spells from Akash Deep. India left the Three Lions gobsmacked and left Birmingham with a series-levelling 336-run victory in the second Test of the five-match series.
"I want to congratulate the Indian team, especially Shubhman Gill. This was his test match. He proved his capabilities as a young captain. The comeback after losing the first Test is commendable. This is a big win, especially because we have never won a match in Edgbaston," Rajput told ANI.
With the bat, Gill had the onus of pushing India's score, especially after his side endured two collapses at the tail in Leeds. He played the captain's knock and shared records for fun en route to a swashbuckling 269(387). In his second turn, when a belligerent approach was the need of the hour, Gill tantalised England's inexperienced pace attack with 161(162), scoring almost at a strike rate of 100.
On the bowling front, Akash took the brunt of finding the breakthroughs on his shoulders in the absence of the world's best, Bumrah. He kept England's top order silent in the first innings and returned with figures of 4/88. However, in the second innings, he upped the ante and left no stone unturned to reduce the English crowd to silence. He dealt heavy blows at crucial junctures and scalped priceless wickets of Joe Root, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith and Harry Brook, derailing England's pursuit of a daunting 608-run target to finish with figures of 6/99.
"Bumrah, Akash Deep and Siraj will be our lethal bowling weapon. England will have a lot of trouble thinking about how to deal with them. In Bumrah's absence, Akash Deep proved himself. Siraj bowled a brilliant spell. There will be a lot of pressure on England. The Test at Lord's is crucial," he added.
With the series perfectly poised at 1-1 after the conclusion of the first two Tests, India and England will fight for control in the third contest of the series, which is scheduled to kick off on Thursday.