Birmingham: Akash Deep tends to get excited at the prospect of representing the country and playing on the biggest stage, getting to run in and bowl at venues he has only heard of in stories while growing up.
Last Sept, ahead of a Test match against Bangladesh, he said he was thrilled to be playing a match at Green Park in Kanpur, since it was the first stadium he had ever heard of. Similarly, he had pre-conceived notions about traditional bowling conditions here in England.
“I’d imagined that I’d get conditions where the ball swings and seams,” Akash had said after his four-wicket haul in the first innings here at Edgbaston.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Hailing from a small town in Bihar, Akash Deep sure has come a long way. On Sunday, when proceedings began after lunch on Day 5, the announcer at the ground mentioned Akash by name. Immediately, the Indian fans — who comfortably outnumbered the England supporters — started chanting his name wildly.
After his match-winning 10-wicket haul in the second Test, the humble, small-town boy is the toast of Indian cricket at one of the most celebrated venues in the world.
Perhaps Akash Deep’s humility is what helps him stay flexible and be effective in varied conditions. “The coaches have always encouraged me. They tell me that even I don’t realise the things I am capable of,” Akash said.
When he found out that conditions in England this summer didn’t exactly resemble the stories, Akash Deep immediately decided to stick to his natural lines and lengths. He has enough miles in his legs at the domestic level and that showed as he ran in tirelessly, seamlessly, in both innings here.
“I trusted my experience and stuck to the line and lengths that I bowled in India. On these kinds of pitches, you need to be disciplined.,” Akash said.
He consistently out-bowled everyone on this relatively docile Edgbaston track and kept coming at the batters. It’s remarkable considering he was off-colour in the IPL following a side injury and subsequently carried a niggle while travelling with the India ‘A’ team preceding this Test series.
“Akash is an attacking bowler who asks questions by bowling at the stumps a lot. That’s one of the golden rules here in England. Coming back from injury and seeing him running in and bowling at a high pace is a a nice sign for us,” India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel said after Akash Deep produced a dream spell to get rid of the in-form Ben Duckett and Joe Root late on the fourth day on Saturday.
Not surprisingly, he got the ball rolling immediately on the final morning by knocking over Ollie Pope, followed by trapping Harry Brook in front of the stumps with balls that jagged back remarkably off the seam.
For now, Akash Deep is on a roll. India will be hoping for more such performances from him in this series.
Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu’s inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.