IND v ENG: Bengal pacer Akash Deep surprised to receive maiden India Test call-up for England series
IND v ENG: Bengal pacer Akash Deep surprised to receive maiden Test call-up
Bengal seamer Akash Deep was surprised to receive his maiden India Test call-up for the remaining three matches against England. While standing near the boundary line during his state's Ranji Trophy game against Kerela in Tumba, the right-arm seamer received the news of his Test selection through his teammates sitting in the dressing room. Everyone celebrated Akash's Test call-up by clapping and congratulating him.
"I was hopeful that in the near future, I might get a Test call-up if I keep performing, but I didn't expect that it would come by the third match itself," Akash Deep told news agency PTI from his hotel room in Tumba.
Since making his Ranji Trophy debut for Bengal in 2019, Akash has picked up 103 wickets from 29 games. However, his impressive showing against England Lions last month, wherein he bagged 11 wickets from two unofficial Tests, seemed to lock his chances of breaking into the Test side.
After years of toiling in India’s premier domestic tournament, Akash Deep got picked by the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. The 27-year-old was named in the ODI squad for the South Africa series late last year but didn’t get to play a game. That experience, however, made him realise what aspects of his bowling he needed to work more on.
“Inswing is my stock delivery, but at this level, you need to have outswing and reverse swing and, more importantly, need to control the swing," Akash Deep said.
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"I was in the ODI squad in South Africa and realised that more than skill, at this level, it is more about the mental strength of being able to execute plans under pressure," he added.
India ready for Bazball challenge without star players
Several first-team players are missing from the squad for the last three Tests against England, with Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer being the top names.
While Test regulars Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane are also overlooked, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja’s participation is under a dark cloud owing to their fitness status.
In the fast-bowling department, alongside vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah, India has Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep. While seasoned campaigner Ravi Ashwin will lead the spin attack, Kuldeep Yadav and two all-rounders, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, are also there.
Rajkot in Gujarat will host the third of the five Tests, starting on Thursday (Feb 15).
