Akash Deep Achieves Historic Feat as India Clinch First-Ever Test Win at Edgbaston

India pacer Akash Deep scripted history with a stunning 10-wicket haul, delivering a performance that not even the legends of the game have matched in nearly five decades.

THE BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE OF A FORGOTTEN TALENT

Since making his India debut last year, also against England, Akash Deep has remained on the fringes of the national team setup. Not because of a lack of talent, but largely due to India's established pace hierarchy. With Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj leading the attack, and others like Prasidh Krishna often getting the nod, Akash has had to wait patiently for his opportunities. He has featured in just eight matches since his debut, despite performing creditably whenever called upon.z

However, in the absence of Bumrah for the Edgbaston Test, Akash Deep seized the opportunity spectacularly, delivering a spellbinding performance that not only won India the match but also etched his name in cricket history.

10-WICKET HAUL AND A RARE RECORD LAST SEEN IN 1976

Akash finished the Edgbaston Test with match figures of 10/187 (4/88 in the first innings and 6/99 in the second), helping India register their maiden Test victory at this historic English venue with a commanding 336-run win.

More impressively, he achieved a feat no bowler has managed in the last 49 years. During the second innings, he dismissed four of England’s top five batters Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Ollie Pope, and Harry Brook on his own, without any fielding assistance (three bowled and one LBW). The last time a bowler managed this was the legendary Michael Holding in 1976.

This statistic, verified by renowned cricket analyst Andy Zaltzman for the BBC Test Match Special, highlights just how rare and significant Akash's achievement is. Even icons such as Wasim Akram, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Dale Steyn, and Muttiah Muralitharan have never done it.

HOW THE SPELL UNFOLDED: PRECISION, MOVEMENT, AND GRIT

Akash began his demolition act by castling Ben Duckett, England’s centurion from the Headingley Test. Soon after, he produced a gem to dismiss Joe Root. On the final day, he picked up where he left off, with sharp deliveries that jagged in off the seam.

Ollie Pope was bowled playing on, unable to cope with the movement. Harry Brook suffered the same fate trapped LBW by a delivery that darted in off the pitch, with DRS confirming the on-field decision.

This spell was not just skilful; it was symbolic of a young fast bowler taking charge on foreign soil and ripping through England’s elite batting lineup on a pivotal final day.

THE FINISHING TOUCHES

After sending back Brook, Akash struck again, removing Jamie Smith—England’s highest scorer in the second innings, with 88, caught in the deep. England's tail put up some resistance, but fittingly, it was Akash who came back for one final burst and ended the match, dismissing Brydon Carse to seal the win.

It was a complete performance from the Bengal pacer fearless, relentless, and incredibly effective. His 10-wicket haul marked him as the first Indian bowler to achieve such figures at Edgbaston, and perhaps more importantly, proved why he deserves far more consistent chances in India’s playing XI.

LEGACY MOMENT: AKASH JOINS CRICKET'S MOST EXCLUSIVE CLUB

To dismiss four of the top five in a Test innings without help from the fielders is the stuff of legends. That Akash Deep has done it so early in his career places him in an elite club and brings him into the conversation as one of India's most promising pacers going forward.

At a venue where India had never won a Test before, it was Akash who emerged as the match-winner, the history-maker, and the face of a new generation of Indian fast bowling.