Varun Aaron, a former India pacer, criticised England’s bowlers for failing to make an impression in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy’s second Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham. India scored 587 in the first innings and declared at 427/6 in the second, with captain Shubman Gill scoring 430 runs in two sessions with the bat.
Aaron saw that Chris Woakes lacked the pace required on the Edgbaston surface. On the other hand, the cricketer-turned-expert believed that Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue had bowled too short. Aaron also addressed how Ben Stokes failed to continue his impressive bowling form from the first Test to Birmingham.
“A bowler like Chris Woakes lacks pace. On a wicket like this, you need speed and line. He’s an excellent bowler, without a doubt, but he’s coming back from an injury and may not be bowling at his top pace. Even when he’s hitting in good spots, there’s simply not enough behind it. The majority of English bowlers are hit-the-deck bowlers, which is appropriate for this wicket — but they have bowled far too short. Stokes bowled exceptionally well in the first Test, but he has been less efficient this time around. So, if you look at the top three English bowlers, they just don’t seem to fit in with these circumstances,” JioHotstar expert Aaron stated on ‘Match Centre Live’.
Meanwhile, Varun Aaron lauded Indian seamers Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, who had taken seven and six wickets apiece in the second Test.
“On the other side, Indian bowlers like Siraj and Akash Deep have been bowling at a strong pace, constantly hitting the 140s, and attacking the stumps throughout. Every time they went for the stumps, something occurred. They hit the seam hard and made excellent use of the crease. “It’s five very different bowlers working in very different ways,” he explained.
Speaking about Bengal seamer Deep, who is playing his debut international game in England, Aaron discussed the difficulties he faced while climbing through the ranks.
“Akash Deep has not had an easy journey. He is from Bihar and had to apply for several states because the Bihar Cricket Association was struggling. He eventually travelled to Bengal as an outsider and had to prove himself among the people. He established a name for himself there. Coming from a small hamlet in Bihar, performing like this for India in England must mean everything to him. His joy said it all: ‘I’m here to stay.'” Aaron expressed an opinion.
Aaron also praised Shubman’s batting effort, in which he smashed a double century (269) in the first innings and then hit 161 runs off 162 balls in the second.
“Shubman just can’t seem to get it wrong, and I hope this trend continues for as long as possible. But it didn’t happen by luck. He’s worked extremely hard, even throughout the IPL, to grow as a red ball player. He’s adjusted his tactics and method slightly, and the results are clear. “When someone as talented as Shubman Gill puts in the hard work, he enters that ‘legend’ territory,” Aaron said.
I honestly feel privileged to be here and witness that innings: Jonathan Trott
Meanwhile, former England cricketer Jonathan Trott was in awe of Shubman’s talent, and he likened him to India’s previous No. 4 batter Virat Kohli.
“I honestly feel privileged to be here and witness that innings. I can’t recall him giving the English bowlers even a single chance. The way he shifted gears — hitting sixes at will — without slogging, just pure cricket shots, was something special. Today, he showed how complete a batter he is. It reminded me of the previous Indian number four — almost a carbon copy of that genius. I don’t think he could’ve dreamed of a better start to his first two Tests on this tour. Sure, he’d have liked to win at Headingley, but now he’s hopefully set up a fantastic victory here tomorrow,” Trott said.
England need to score an improbable tally of 536 runs on the final day of the Edgbaston Test with seven wickets left to play with.
India
