Indian pacer Akash Deep revealed how Indian veteran pacer Mohammed Shami helped him with the nuances of his craft. Akash Deep picked up nine wickets in the first round match match of Duleep Trophy 2024 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Bengaluru. Akash picked up 4 for 60 and 5 for 56 for India A against India B in the opener clash.
He learned how to plan dismissals from Mohammed Shami, who teaches how to keep batters guessing about where the ball will go from the same spot. A great example of this is Shami's approach to getting Ben Stokes out in last year's ODI World Cup.
With this remarkable performance in the Duleep Trophy 2024, Akash Deep will likely be one of the wise pick for the Indian squad for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh which is scheduled to start from September 19.
"When you bowl to a left-hander from around the wicket, the ball moves naturally towards the shine," Akash explained. “I spoke to him [Shami] about how to get the ball to come back in [with the angle]. I have seen him do that” said Akash Deep quoted Cricinfo.
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"He advised me not to focus too much on bringing it in. He said it will automatically come over time and when it does, it will become a wicket-taking ball. Because if it keeps going out and then you are able to bring it back in with the shine, it's tough for batsmen. But he has cautioned me against trying it a lot. But as a bowler, if you're able to do it, then batters will have a tendency to chase balls away as well" added Akash Deep.
Mohammad Shami is currently on the road to recovery, he last featured in the ODI World Cup 2023 final against Australia which was played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Shami was the highest wicket taker in the ODI World Cup where he picked up 24 wickets at an average of 10.70 and a strike rate of 12.20, with the best figures of 7/57 in the tournament.
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