Shubman Gill’s India staged a series to remember against England, with the visitors going back home after England were tied 2-2 in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Harry Brook and Joe Root were poised to assist the hosts in reaching 374 for victory and thus win the series 3-1. Mohammed Siraj had other ideas. He came back with five wickets, and India sealed a narrow six-run victory before a packed audience at the Oval.
Akash Deep’s Crucial Role With Bat and Ball
As all the talk is of Siraj, and why not, one cannot downplay the effort of Akash Deep either. The pacer was also supposed to rise to the occasion with the ball. He did, but he also contributed with the bat, hitting his first fifty in the second innings of the Oval Test.
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Arriving as the nightwatchman on Day 3, Akash Deep saw off the remainder of the day and came back on Day 4 to ultimately play a knock of 66 runs off 94 deliveries with the assistance of 12 boundaries. The moment he got his fifty, Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir were spotted smiling like anything.
Ravindra Jadeja requested the pacer to take off his helmet and bask in the claps of the Oval crowd.
Akash Deep’s Promise to Himself
Speaking to Aaj Tak about his accomplishment with the bat, Akash Deep said, “I never play my cricket based on hope. I promised myself at night that I would not get out. I made this commitment. I decided not to play a rash shot.”
“If a good ball got me out, there was no issue with that, as these things can happen in cricket. If I didn’t score any runs, I was fine with it. My aim was just to stay at the crease. I had this motivation, and this made batting easier,” he added.
Confidence in Team India’s Final Day Fight
Akash Deep also stated that his team had complete faith going into Day 5 of returning with a win even though they needed four wickets and England needed only 35 runs.
England began the last day of the Oval Test on two boundaries, reducing the equation to 27 runs with four wickets remaining. But Siraj put up his hand as he came forward for the visitors and took the three wickets out of the last four.
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“It was an important match. We were trailing 1-2 in the series. We had played well in the series but we were behind. The wicket seemed flat in the Oval Test but later, the pitch started doing something,” said Akash Deep.
“The crowd was behind us, it was then that we had the belief of pulling off a win. We were talking that England would lose wickets in a heap and this is what exactly happened,” he added.
