Birmingham [UK], July 7 : Following India's record-breaking 336-run victory over England at Edgbaston, Indian skipper Shubman Gill and other players expressed their happiness at the clinical performance.
India's triumph not only levelled the five-match series 1-1 but also marked their first-ever Test win at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The emphatic nature of the win drew widespread acclaim, particularly for skipper Shubman Gill, who scored 269 and 161 in the two innings to lead from the front, and Akash Deep, whose 10-wicket match haul was instrumental in dismantling England's batting.
Gill, in a post on his official X handle, "Be in love with the grind and the game will give back."
https://x.com/ShubmanGill/status/1941932240965075189
Indian batter KL Rahul posted on his Instagram account, "One for the record books, Edgbaston."
The victory at Edgbaston will go down as one of India's finest overseas Test performances, one that blended youthful brilliance with tactical mastery and set the stage for an electrifying showdown at the Home of Cricket.
Indian opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal posted on his Instagram account, "Wonderful game really enjoyed it everything with everyone."
Akash Deep posted on his Instagram account, "History made at Edgbaston -- grit, glory, and a game we'll never forget. Serving the nation with pride- deep."
Indian test vice-captain Rishabh Pant also posted on his Instagram account, "Amazing win."
Coming to the match, England once again opted to field first. After getting KL Rahul (2) early, an 80-run stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal (87 in 107 balls, with 13 fours) and Karun Nair (31 in 50 balls, with five fours) helped India gain some footing in the match. Skipper Shubman Gill had valuable partnerships of 203 runs with Ravindra Jadeja (89 in 137 balls, with 10 fours and a six) and a 144-run stand against Washington Sundar (42 in 103 balls, with three fours and a six), helping India towards 587, scoring 269 in 387 balls himself, with 30 fours and three sixes.
Shoaib Bashir (3/167) was the pick of the bowlers for England, while Chris Woakes and Josh Tongue also managed two each.
In England's first innings, India had them on the ropes with 84/5. However, a 303-run stand between Harry Brook (158 in 234 balls, with 17 fours and a six) and wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith (184* in 207 balls, with 21 fours and four sixes) sent India on an endless hunt for leather and answers. However, Siraj (6/70) and Akash Deep (4/88) got something out of the new ball and took down the last five wickets for 20 runs, bundling them down for 407 runs, gaining a 180-run lead.
India's response was a swift half-century partnership between Jaiswal (28 in 22 balls, with six fours) and KL Rahul, who also continued his good run with a 10-boundary-filled 55 in 84 balls. A 110-run stand for the fourth wicket between Rishabh Pant (65 in 58 balls, with eight fours and three sixes) and Gill upped the attack, while Gill managed yet another epic 175-run stand with Jadeja, scoring 161 in 162 balls, with 13 fours and eight sixes. Jadeja scored an unbeaten 69* in 118 balls, with five fours and a six. India declared at 427/6, leading by 607 runs and setting England a monstrous 608 runs to win.
During the run-chase, England was restricted to 50/3. Jamie Smith (88 in 99, with nine fours and four sixes) was the only glimmer of hope for England as they were skittled out for just 271 runs, losing by 336 runs, thanks to a brilliant spell from Akash Deep (6/99), who ended up taking a ten-fer.