Birmingham, July 6 (NationPress) Former England captain Nasser Hussain observed that India skipper Shubman Gill exhibited remarkable accuracy in his captaincy during the morning session on day five of the second Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series at Edgbaston.

Despite losing 10 overs to rain, India moved closer to a significant victory in the first session as Akash Deep dismissed the overnight batters Ollie Pope and Harry Brook, while Washington Sundar trapped Ben Stokes lbw just before lunch, leaving England at 153/6 in 40.3 overs.

With 455 runs still required by England, India is optimistic about claiming the remaining four wickets with 55.3 overs remaining in the day’s play. "England had done a lot of the hard work. Stokes, who hadn’t spent much time at the crease, was starting to find his rhythm as the ball softened," said Hussain.

“It was a brilliant decision to notice the ball flicking the front pad (for Stokes' lbw dismissal) and for Gill to utilize off-spinner Washington. Gill has excelled in most aspects of that session, even making decisions many would not have - including Deep's bowling end,” Hussain noted during the Sky Sports broadcast at lunch.

Former England skipper Michael Atherton remarked that losing Stokes right before lunch was a significant setback for the hosts. "India wanted Stokes on strike, and that was a major blow for England. Stokes had been playing well but is now out, which is a boost for India."

Hussain also praised Akash, who has impressive figures of 4-58 and took 4-88 in the first innings. "He is a highly-skilled bowler who consistently challenges the batsmen. His success isn’t solely due to the pitch cracks; he is an exceptional bowler."