Akash Deep, a right-arm pacer, will make his Team India debut against England in the fourth Test on Friday at Ranchi’s JSCA Stadium. The hosts have given out their third Test cap in the series’ third and fourth matches.
India rested top bowler Jasprit Bumrah for the last game due to the long season ahead. This created a vacancy, which was appropriately filled by Akash, who has been on the outskirts for quite some time.
The Bengal pacer earned his Test cap from head coach Rahul Dravid, while his family watched on from the sidelines. The team management has made a particular effort to ensure that family can experience the action live.
Akash, who moved to Bengal from Bihar to pursue a cricket career, became India’s 313th red-ball cricket representative.
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Akash Deep has a strong first-class record, taking 104 wickets in 30 games with an average of 23.58. He was also in top form for India A against the England Lions last month. In three games, the player, aged 27, nabbed 13 wickets. This included two instances of gaining four wickets.
Speaking of the game, Ben Stokes won the toss and decided to bat first. England made two changes to their starting lineup, with Ollie Robinson and Shoaib Bashir replacing Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed, respectively.
In contrast, India made only one change, with Akash Deep replacing Jasprit Bumrah.
India vs England Playing XIs
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wl), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj.
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, Shoaib Bashir, and James Anderson.