Former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble praised bowler Akash Deep for his outstanding bowling performance in the fourth Test against England in Ranchi. He also praised the team management for allowing the pacer to display his abilities in Tests.
The right-arm pacer created havoc in the opening session, removing the English top-order quartet of Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, and Ollie Pope in rapid succession after Team India were given the opportunity to bowl first. Akash Deep had dismissed Zak Crawley in the fourth over, but it was ruled out because he had overstepped.
Akash Deep joined the playing XI when Jasprit Bumrah was dropped from the team due to workload management. He pleased the selectors and team management with his bowling performance for India ‘A’ against the England Lions recently.
Anil Kumble praised the team’s choice to inject Akash Deep into the mix rather than playing Axar Patel instead.
“The team management certainly got it spot on. When Bumrah wasn’t available for this game, there was an option to pick a fast bowler. India has always played two seamers in this series so far. Yes, we all thought the pitch was conducive, then maybe Axar Patel. But Akash has certainly bowled exceptionally well.”
Anil Kumble
Akash Deep took advantage of the inconsistent bounce and early dampness on the surface. Furthermore, he caused the ball to move around after pitching, which greatly confused the batters.
“I thought he bowled exceptionally well for a debutant” – Anil Kumble on Akash Deep
Akash Deep, who made his debut in 2019, needed 30 first-class games to break into the national team. He has made a strong early impression and is expected to be part of Team India’s pacer pool in Tests.
“He bowled good lengths and most of the time, the length sort of got the better of the batter, that’s where they got beaten. On this surface, it is not easy for stroke play. That’s something England batters went searching for. But hats off to Akash. I thought he bowled exceptionally well for a debutant.”
Anil Kumble
Akash Deep has been unable to make greater inroads into England batting as the ball has aged and spinners have entered the picture. At the time of writing, England is 196-5 after 58 overs in the second session of Day 1.
