Edgbaston Win Shows India Are Not Afraid Of 'Bazball': Monty Panesar

(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) Former England spinner Monty Panesar feels that Test win in Edgbaston shows that India are not afraid of England's 'Bazball' approach, and the famous victory will give the visitors a lot of confidence heading into the third Test at Lord's.

India beat England by 336 runs to get their first-ever Test match win at Edgbaston on Sunday. The statement victory has also meant that India have levelled the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series at 1-1. This win at Birmingham is also India's biggest away Test win in terms of runs.

"India will gain a lot of confidence from this. It shows they're not afraid of England's Bazball approach. There's a great deal of excitement and belief in the team. Shubman Gill has shown exceptional leadership; also, he has batted really well," Panesar told IANS.

India's bowling and fielding had come under scrutiny following the five-wicket defeat in Leeds. They came into the game without their premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah, not including Kuldeep Yadav. But Akash Deep, who came in as Bumrah's replacement, stepped in to produce a fast bowling performance for ages – troubling batters with the new ball on a flat pitch to bowl out England for 271 on the last day, with more than a session to spare.

Akash has also become just the second Indian bowler to take a ten-wicket haul in a Test in England after Chetan Sharma took 10-188, coincidentally at Birmingham, back in 1986. He was well supported by Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar, who took a wicket each.

This victory is skipper Shubman Gill's first win as a Test captain. He was super with a bat, hitting 269 and 161 for a total record of 430 runs, the second most runs in a single Test, just 26 behind Graham Gooch (456), which he, coincidentally, hit against India in 1990.

"This is India's first-ever Test win at Edgbaston - a truly historic moment. The team will head into the Lord's Test with confidence, knowing they can beat England," he said.

"Taking 20 wickets in a Test match is a big achievement for India. They've found a solid bowling combination, and with Jasprit Bumrah likely to return for the next match, the bowling attack will only get stronger.

"Akash Deep has an excellent average with the new ball. He's a genuine new-ball bowler, and he bowled really well - a remarkable comeback for him," Panesar added.

Reflecting on what went wrong for England, Panesar pointed out Shoaib Bashir conceding 286 in a match was a point of concern for the hosts. "Shoaib Bashir conceding 286 runs is a serious concern. It's troubling for England that their spinner can't even deliver maiden overs consistently,' he said.

As the series stands at 1-1, the teams will face off in the crucial third Test at Lord's starting from July 10.

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