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Akash Deep was handed India's 313th Test cap and he made the most of the opportunity in Ranchi showdown against England and made his mark despite an initial hiccup due to a no-ball. On Day 1 of the fourth Test against England, Akash Deep made a comeback after the no-ball drama to secure his first international wicket by catching Ben Duckett off-guard. Akash's debut was notable as he grabbed eyeballs by snaring three prized wickets in Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett, effectively halting Zack Crawley's progress at a critical juncture. He left England teetering at 57/3. However Joe Root came to England's rescue and hit a splendid century to take the visitors to a respectable 302/7 at the end of Day 1's play.
Akash Deep's exploits earn cricket experts' plaudits
However, Akash Deep's performance did not go unnoticed, garnering praise from cricket experts across social media platforms. Mohammad Kaif celebrated his impressive debut, and Irfan Pathan pointed out the difficulties of delivering on Indian pitches, underscoring Akash Deep's commendable outing.
Bumrah's tips work for Akash Deep
Right after the close of Day 1, the 27-year-old revealed Jasprit Bumrah's advise which helped him perform in fourth Test against England.
“I wasn't nervous, had spoken with my coaches, so I wasn't tense ahead of the game. I don't know how it happened, but I used to take every game as my last game and tried my best. Bumrah bhai advised me to drag the length back slightly (in international cricket), that's exactly what I did,” Akash said after the match.
I felt bad: Akash Deep on no-ball drama
The Bengal pacer finished the day with an exceptional spell of 3/70.
However, Akash experienced a bittersweet debut moment when he initially sent Zak Crawley's off-stump tumbling, only for the joy to be short-lived due to a no-ball call. Despite this setback, Akash ultimately found redemption by successfully dismissing Crawley later on. He confessed to feeling disappointed about the no-ball incident. He observed that initially, there was some assistance from the pitch, but as the game progressed, the ball softened, and the pitch slowed down.
“I felt bad (on the no-ball), I was just hoping that the team doesn't lose because of that (since Crawley was batting well). There was a bit of help early on, but the ball became soft and the wicket was slow as well. We just tried to be as tight as possible and bowl in the right areas,” he added.
England, who are trailing the five-match series 1-2, got off to a shaky start and found themselves clueless in negotiating India's debutant Akash Deep's bowling. Akash Deep ripped through the England's top order. Akash removed visitors' top three batters, Zak Crawley (42), Ben Duckett (11) and Ollie Pope (0) and left them teetering at 57/3. Then Joe Root came to England's rescue and kept the scoreboard running. However, England's misery didn't end there as they lost two more wickets in quick succession in Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes which left the Three Lions reeling at 112/5. Root then combined with Ben Foakes and stitched a solid 113-run partnership to take England to 225 before their wicketkeeper fell to Mohammed Siraj after scoring a patient 47 off 126. But undeterred by India's sharp bowling Root kept going and ultimately notched his 31st Test century to announce his comeback and took England to a respectable 302/7.
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