ENG vs IND 2025: Akash Deep’s smart use of conditions and seam movement makes him India’s go-to new ball bowler.
Akash Deep was one of the architects of India’s victory against England in the Birmingham Test. He took 10 wickets in the match. It was Deep’s brilliance with the new ball that saw India make early inroads in both England innings, and put the opposition on the backfoot. Deep took five wickets combined in the first 20 overs of the two innings when the ball was still hard and new. During this phase, the bowler can create wicket-taking opportunities if he lands the ball on the right areas, and puts his skills to use. Deep did this wonderfully in both England innings, and reaped the benefits with a maiden 10-wicket haul.
Akash Deep – the best new-ball bowler since 2021
Since 2021, there has been no better bowler than Deep who has the best bowling average and strike rate in the first 10 overs of an innings – when the ball is extremely hard and new – among players who have taken 12 wickets or more and average 20 or below during this phase.
It cannot be denied that Deep has made a claim of being the most lethal bowler with the new ball in this era. He averages just 12, while his strike rate is 21.50 – the best among the bowlers in this list.
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What makes Deep so special?
A look at the wickets taken by Deep shows how calculated, methodical, and skilful bowler he is with the new ball. He showed great skills with the ball, moving the ball both ways, using the crease effectively, and ensuring he is targeting the stumps all the time. Eight of his 10 wickets were either bowled or LBW as he reaped the rewards of bowling good-length balls.
Joe Root’s wicket in the second innings was easily the best dismissal by any bowler from either side in the series so far. Deep bowled from wide off the crease with an angle that would make the ball swing into the batter. However, Deep got the good-length ball to swing away from Root who squared up to flick the ball hoping it was an inswinger. The result – a shattered stumps as Deep celebrated signalling he is here to stay in Test cricket.
Another brilliant dismissal orchestrated by Deep was his inswinger to Harry Brook. Deep got the ball to swing in late into Brook who had no answer to the nipping ball, and was dismissed LBW.
Deep showed how good a thinking bowler he is when he set a trap to get Jamie Smith out in the second innings. Smith looked the best English batter in the second innings as he brought out his counter-attacking game to the fore. Smith was also good in his defence. Deep took the short ball route to induce an error from Brook. After bowling two short balls angled into Brook and pulled away for sixes, Deep got one slower off-cutter outside off, and Brook fell for it, and pulled it straight to Washington Sundar in the deep.
Earlier, in the first innings, Deep also showed great tactical skills to pluck out two batters in his second over of the match. After conceding two fours in his first over bowling over the wicket, Deep came round the wicket to left-hander Ben Duckett and got the ball angled into him, targeting his stumps. Duckett just got his bat hanging into the corridor and the ball did the rest by taking an edge to the slips. The next ball, Deep came over the wicket to Ollie Pope, and bowled a full-length outswinger to take an edge away to the slips.
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On an absolute road of a pitch he's made the ball talk. Terrific bowling from Akash Deep, he's been nothing short of a revelation this test! Very well bowled, came in for Bumrah and did exactly what Boom would have done👏🏻 #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/r8YgW8R2YA
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) July 6, 2025
Deep – a street-smart, thinking bowler
These dismissals show Akash Deep as a quick-thinking, street-smart bowler who swiftly adjusts his line and length, his delivery position in the crease, the choice of balls to batters on different stages of the game, the plans to set up a batter – it all sums up Deep’s heroics with the ball in the Birmingham Test. His new-ball heroics make him just the kind of bowler India need on this English tour.
Deep’s performance in the Test shows his quality as a pace bowler who does not need pace-friendly conditions to trouble the batters. It is his years of experience of bowling with the new balls that has given him the wealth of knowledge on how best to dismiss the aggressive English batters in England. He also showed great control with the ball as he maintained a tight line and length, and even adjusted it effectively to set up a batter. His use of the crease was also admirable as he used it effectively to create the angles to disturb the batters. He sometimes went wide off the crease, and sometimes close to the umpire to create the angles and doubts in the minds of batters. For example, Root’s dismissal was a classic example of creating angles using the depth of the crease, and then disturbing the stumps with an outswinger when the batter expected an inswinger.
Deep also showed great character as he was relentless throughout the two innings. He never for once let his energy and disciplined line and length bowling suffer in situations when the English batters were staging a comeback and wickets were hard to come by. Overall, Deep showed great resilience, patience, and skills with the ball during the Birmingham Test, and it augurs well for India in the upcoming three Tests.
Fantastic win for Team India. Akashdeep with those 10 wickets was simply stunning. A win to cherish.#INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/GUTpnRbUo0
— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) July 6, 2025
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