There's one name that is at the forefront of Indian cricket supporters' minds at the moment: Akash Deep. The 28-year-old pacer produced a key spell late on Day 4 of the second Test on July 5, extracting two vital wickets when they mattered most for India. With England set a mammoth target of 608 runs to chase, time was of the essence for the Indian bowlers to attack early on, and Akash did exactly that, dismissing Duckett for 25 with the new ball to establish a foothold for India's defense. 

As Joe Root and Ollie Pope began building a promising partnership, Gill turned to Akash to find the key breakthrough again. The speedster did not disappoint, dismissing Root with a glorious piece of bowling. Bowling from a slightly wider angle than Root was used to, Akash was able to just move the ball enough to beat Root's bat and clip the top of the off-stump. Root stood in disbelief, and rightly so, as he was clearly set up by the late movement of the ball and spectacular precision of the delivery.

See Also: Watch: Virat Kohli’s epic reaction after Shubman Gill’s historic Test innings

This brilliant spell added to what has been a standout Test for Akash Deep. His energy, skill, and confidence on the big stage have impressed fans and experts alike. He celebrated his crucial wicket with a ‘Calma, I’m here’ gesture, famously used by Cristiano Ronaldo—signaling not just confidence, but the arrival of a new pace threat in Indian cricket.

Watch the video here;

𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 🥶#AkashDeep uproots #JoeRoot with a searing in-swinger, his second wicket puts England firmly on the back foot 🤩#ENGvIND 👉 2nd TEST, Day 4 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar ➡ https://t.co/2wT1UwEcdi pic.twitter.com/avu1sqRrcG

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 5, 2025

England need 536 runs on Day 5 of Edgbaston Test

India's commanding position in the second Test was reinforced by a sensational second-innings century from captain Shubman Gill, who scored a superb 161 to follow up his first-innings double century. Gill became only the second Indian, after the great Sunil Gavaskar, to score a hundred and a double century in the same Test. Gill also became part of an elite group of just nine players in Test history to accomplish the statistical rarity of making a hundred and a double hundred in the same Test. Gill was the second visiting captain to make a hundred and double hundred in England, since Graham Gooch in the historic Test at Lord's in 1990. 

On either side of Gill's brilliance, the contributions of vice-captain Rishabh Pant (65) and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (69) both added value to India's overwhelming total, as well as pushed England further into a dire situation. Collectively the trio ensured that India made a massive target of 608 runs possible, and put England's batting under even greater pressure on the last day of the Test match. Ultimately, their partnerships drained the English effort which was an onslaught of aggressive batting, that left England little opportunity to recover heading into their final innings of the Test match.

In response, England faltered early in their massive chase, losing three wickets within the first 16 overs. Zak Crawley was dismissed for a duck by Mohammed Siraj, while Ben Duckett and Joe Root were undone by a brilliant spell from Akash Deep. Root’s dismissal in particular stood out, with the ball clipping the top of off-stump, leaving him stunned. At 72/3, with 536 runs still needed, the hosts find themselves in deep trouble. The pressure now lies on the remaining batters to survive India’s relentless bowling and avoid a series-levelling defeat.