“Why wasn’t he at Headingley?” - Michael Vaughan’s high praise for Indian star after ENG vs IND 2025 2nd Test

Former England captain Michael Vaughan questioned Team India pacer Akash Deep's absence in the first Test of the series at Headingley, Leeds. The Men in Blue desperately needed answers from their secondary seamers on that occasion as England chased down 371 comfortably to take a series lead.

In the second Test, Akash Deep showed Team India what they had been missing in the series opener. The right-arm pacer made a serious impression after coming into the playing XI for the rested Jasprit Bumrah. He recorded a 10-wicket haul while bowling on largely flat conditions, while the likes of Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur had failed to back up Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj's spells in Leeds.

Michael Vaughan opined that England will have a hard time if Team India chooses to unleash the trio of Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Prasidh Krishna for the third Test at Lord's.

"Sometimes when you lose your star bowler, it can inspire the team, they knew they had to step up. Akash Deep, I watched him this week, and I thought, why wasn't he at Headingley? He was a perfect Headingley-style bowler. Let's be honest, India's seamers this week, were better than England seamers. They found that extra bit of zip. I'm intrigued to see where this series goes from here because Bumrah back into this side with Siraj and Akash Deep. Boy, it's a trio that will be very difficult to face," Vaughan said on Cricbuzz.

Team India skipper Shubman Gill confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah will be back in the playing XI for the third Test of the series. It remains to be seen how the team handles Mohammed Siraj's workload as he has bowled 72.3 overs across two Tests.

Vaughan hailed Gill's performance as captain, terming it a masterclass as he orchestrated India's mammoth win.

"All the talk was the team selection, leaving out Kuldeep Yadav, there is no Jasprit Bumrah, you are 0-1 down in the series, it is your second Test as captain, there has been a few question marks about his captaincy in that first game, and all of a sudden, he has produced a masterclass. Not just a masterclass with batting, I thought in terms of his leadership, he looked every ounce of a captain this week," he added.

This triumph marks the Men in Blue's biggest overseas win in terms of runs, pipping out the 318-run win over the West Indies in North Sound during the 2019 tour.

"They have got to find a new method of trying to get Shubman out" - Michael Vaughan feels England will overhaul their bowling for 3rd Test vs India

England wasted no time in announcing that both Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson are in the squad for the third Test of the series. The current bowling crop looked jaded as Brydon Carse struggled with a niggle while Josh Tongue only looked good in patches, and was no match for the in-form Indian batting outfit.

Michael Vaughan said that England will probably gamble and include both the returning speedsters in the playing XI despite their lack of recent game time.

"After Leeds, I thought England would dominate this series. Realistically, I would say that India have got their foot in front, because Bumrah comes back in, and their history at Lord's is a good one. England are probably at that stage where they think it is worth a gamble (on playing both Archer and Atkinson). They have got to find a new method of trying to get Shubman out, because at the minute, he looks rock solid. If he carries on with that flow, I think England are in deep trouble," Vaughan said of England's playing XI for the third Test.

The third Test between the two heavyweights will be held at Lord's from Thursday, July 10, onwards. The five-match series is currently level 1-1.