India’s rising pacer Akash Deep admitted he was taken aback by the nature of pitches in England during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, revealing that he expected classic English conditions—helpful for swing and seam bowling—but found himself having to adjust quickly to flatter decks.
Speaking after the second day’s play at Edgbaston, where he picked up four key wickets to restrict England to 407 in reply to India’s mammoth 587, the Bengal pacer explained how discipline and teamwork were crucial in navigating the conditions. “I came here expecting swing and seam,” Akash said after stumps. “But on these kinds of flat wickets, you can only be disciplined about your plans.”
England’s BazBall era has seen them opt for flatter pitches to encourage aggressive batting. Under Brendon McCullum’s leadership, the approach has been to dominate with the bat and back their bowlers—especially at home—to adapt and find breakthroughs. This tactic worked at Headingley in the first Test, where England used the wobble seam to great effect and secured a five-wicket win.
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However, in Birmingham, India flipped the script. Shubman Gill’s magnificent double century laid the foundation, and then the bowling duo of Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj—who claimed a stunning six-for—delivered in tandem to keep England on the back foot.
Akash Deep came to England expecting swing and seam and was left surprised by the flat tracks in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. #AkashDeep https://t.co/St0sFzUybE
— News18 CricketNext (@cricketnext) July 5, 2025
“Siraj and I kept talking during spells. The idea was to bowl in partnerships, build pressure, and not give away easy runs,” Akash Deep said. “I was the attacking option, and Siraj tightened up from the other end.”
Siraj, the senior of the two, even referred to Akash as a “horse” for his relentless control and energy across spells.
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Interestingly, Akash Deep revealed he only learned he would be playing on the eve of the match. “I got to know just a day before. But my mindset is always to be ready. I’m not thinking about Lord’s yet. The focus is on winning this one. We still have five days of cricket left.”
India finished Day 2 in command, leading by 244 runs with nine wickets in hand, eyeing a 1-1 series comeback.
