Ever since making an impressive Test debut against England in Ranchi earlier this year, Akash Deep is making rapid strides in international cricket, and based on his brilliant show in the first round of Duleep Trophy (match haul of 9 for 116 for India A), the Bihar-born Bengal pacer was deservingly named in the squad for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh.

Deep justified his selection by returning with two wickets in India’s 280-run win against Bangladesh in the opening Test in Chennai, and looked on course to cement his side for the second Test in Kanpur. However, as it appears that the track might be a spin-friendly one in Kanpur, and thus India might be tempted to add an additional spinner in the line-up.

Advertisement

In that scenario, it could be a toss-up between Deep and Mohammed Siraj to pair up with pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. But going by the national team’s media activity on Wednesday, it appears that the Bengal seamer might edge his Hyderabadi teammate. Deep was sent to the press conference on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old, who once struggled to get games for Bengal and was the third in the state side’s pecking order of pacers behind Ishan Porel and Mukesh Kumar, has arguably sealed his place in the Test side, with impressive performances in limited opportunities.

However, Deep, who went against his family’s wishes to pursue a career in cricket, with a dream of representing India, believes in keeping things simple without putting too much pressure on himself.

With India set to play three more Tests against New Zealand at home next month, before travelling Down Under for a gruelling five-Test series later this year, Deep could prove to be one of India’s potent weapons as Rohit Sharma & Co aims to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

“I’m not thinking too far ahead. I try to keep things simple and not put myself under pressure. For the last two seasons, I have played a lot of cricket. I have worked on my strengths,” said Deep.

Hailing from a nondescript Dehri village in Bihar’s Sasaram, Deep lost both his father and elder brother due to lack of proper medical facilities back in the village. Despite the setbacks, he continued in his pursuit of representing India at the highest level. Recollecting the moment when his name was announced in the Test side for the England series, Deep said to himself, “Every kid dreams about playing for India. The goal is always to live up to the standards.”

The right-armer now aims to imbibe the dedication and hard work from the two stalwarts of Indian cricket – Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

“They are legends of the game. Still, the dedication they show and the hard work they put in every day… I have been learning about dedication and hard work from Virat bhai and Rohit bhaiya. I consider myself lucky to play under Rohit bhaiya. He has never put me under any pressure. He has always backed me to play freely,” said Deep.

Akash revealed that the surface in Kanpur appears a sporting one, where the batters and bowlers will not get enough help but it won’t deteriorate as well. He expects a healthy competition and mentioned that the bowlers will need to maintain their line and length to find success in the second Test.

“I think this is a sporting pitch. Not very helpful, not docile either. At the end of the day, you have to bowl in the right areas,” Deep said while fondly recalling a childhood memory of how the name “Green Park” made him think everything around the stadium would be green.