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Follow UsA passion for cricket in India runs in every young boy's blood. You will find that every eight of ten schoolboys' dream is to play for India. And Akash Deep is one among them.
Though his selection to the Indian squad came as a surprise for few, including him, the truth is he deserves this call-up. In an interview with PTI, Akash said, "I was hopeful that in the near future, I might get a Test call-up if I keep performing, but I didn't expect that it would come by the third match itself."
He has been rewarded for his relentless efforts in the Ranji Trophy.
Starting his cricketing career as a tennis-ball player, Akash made it into the red-ball division level in Kolkata. His first major assignment was the COL CK Nayudu Trophy in the 2018/19 season. Bengal Under-23s made it to the season's finals but fell short. The right-arm pacer ended the season with 26 wickets at an average of 29.8 and a strike rate of 29.8.
The Cricket Association of Bengal recognized his exploits, and he earned a call-up to the Ranji 2019/20 season. In his first season itself, the pacer was a star. He was the joint-highest wicket-taker alongside Shahbaz Ahmed for Bengal with 35 wickets. Thanks to his and Shahbaz's efforts, Bengal made it to the finals but couldn't lay their hands on the trophy again.
He couldn't replicate his heroics in his follow-up season, the 2021/22 Ranji Trophy. However, the Bengal pacer made a strong comeback in the 2022/23 season.
In a way, the 2022/23 season of Ranji Trophy was the breakthrough edition for Akash. By the start of this season, he was on the selectors' radar, and he delivered it in style. In ten games, he bagged 41 wickets at an average of 20.9 while snaffling a wicket every 40.7 balls. Akash was the highest wicket-taker among the pacers in that season.
The Bengal pacer played a crucial role in their knockout wins. In fact, he was the Player of the Match in both quarter-finals, against Jharkhand (4/62 & 2/46) and the semi-finals, against Madhya Pradesh (5/42 & 1/18).
After crashing out in the semi-final against Madhya Pradesh in the 2021/22 season, beating them in the same stage next year was a sweet revenge. However, they couldn't replicate the same against Saurashtra, whom they had lost in the 2019/20 season final (the last time Bengal made it to the Final).
Across three seasons of Ranji, Akash had 89 wickets in 39 innings, averaging 21.2 and bagging a wicket every 41.2 balls. In the three Ranji seasons, from his debut till 2022/23, only Jaydev Unadkat (107) had more wickets among the pacers than Akash.
Success at India 'A' level
In a country like India, where there is a plethora of spinners and a scarcity of quality pacers, a guy like Akash is hard to keep out. The national call-up would take time but with a record like his, an India 'A' call-up was bound to happen.
Though the man earned an ODI call-up (against South Africa in 2023) first, he did not play a match for India. After completing the ODI series, he was drafted into the India 'A' squad touring South Africa in 2023.
Akash made his India 'A' debut in the second unofficial Test. But, his debut wasn't a fairytale one as he went wicketless after bowling 21 overs.
As they say, form is temporary, class is permanent. Akash belongs to that crop of players who will only go quiet for a short time. The right-arm quick was a superstar in his next India 'A' outing against the England Lions in 2024.
In four innings, the pacer had 11 wickets at an average of 18.7 and a bowling strike rate of 36.4. Only Matthew Potts had more wickets in that tour than him (20). In each of the two unofficial Tests, Akash dented England with a four-for in the first innings. In the first game, he had spells of 4/46 & 2/57, and in the second, he returned with 4/56 & 1/47.
Akash Deep is not some bowler who has come up the ranks because of his Indian Premier League (IPL) record. Just to prove, the seamer has played only seven matches in the IPL to take six wickets at an economy of 11.1. It is all due to his hard toil in the domestic red-ball format.
First, an India call-up, and who knows, in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah for the fourth Test, an India debut could also be around the corner.
