Right-arm fast bowler Akash Deep secured his maiden international cap on Friday in the fourth Test match against England. The 27-year-old received his maiden cap from Team India head coach Rahul Dravid just before the toss at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi. Akash replaced Jasprit Bumrah, who was given a rest due to workload management. Having collected his cap, Akash was seen hugging India captain Rohit Sharma. After his interaction with Rohit, Akash went straight to his family members who were present at the venue. He was seen touching his mother’s feet to seek her blessings and shared an emotional moment with his closed ones. Akash also posed for pictures with his family members.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also shared pictures of Akash receiving his maiden international cap from coach Dravid. “Say hello to Team India newest Test debutant - Akash Deep. A moment to cherish for him as he receives his Test cap from Head Coach Rahul Dravid,” read the post shared by BCCI on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Akash’s performances in the matches between India A and England Lions impressed the selectors and he finally earned his maiden international cap in Ranchi Test. Akash had picked up 10 wickets from two red-ball games for India A in Ahmedabad. In first-class cricket, Akash has 104 wickets under his belt in 30 matches. He has an economy rate of 3.03 in first-class cricket.
In international cricket, Akash could not have asked for a better start to his career than this. Playing against a formidable English batting line-up, Akash picked up three wickets in the first session on the opening day.
Impact Shorts
View AllAkash bagged his first international wicket in the 10th over after dismissing England opener Ben Duckett for 11. Two balls later, Akash claimed another wicket and this time it was Ollie Pope who departed without scoring a run. Zak Crawley was Akash’s third prey of the morning as the English opener returned to the dressing room scoring 42 runs.
Apart from Akash, India’s spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin also looked in fine form as they claimed one wicket each to put pressure on the visitors on the opening day of the fourth Test. The Ben Stokes-led side finished at 112 losing five wickets in the first session of the day.