Why has Akash Deep been picked over Kuldeep Yadav for Chennai Test?

Considering the red-soil pitch on September 19 (Thursday), India have decided to pick the impressive Akash Deep over either of the two spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. It is the first time India have played three pacers in a home Test since 2019, which incidentally also came against the same opponents. 

Why? In his last first-class appearance, Akash Deep was a menace for the batters, running through a talented India B outfit, picking up four wickets in the first innings, and conceding just 60 runs. Amongst his victims were Rishabh Pant, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Navdeep Saini and Yash Dayal. 

The right-handed all-rounder then followed it up with an impressive five-wicket haul in the second innings, where he showed great control over his line and length. In a spell for the ages, the Bengal pacer ran through India B’s top-order, removing both skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran and Musheer Khan early in the innings. 

Later on, with the semi-old ball, the pacer returned to pick up three more wickets, running through the lower-order, with Washington Sundar, Sai Kishore and Navdeep Saini being his three victims. 

“What does red soil mean - bounce, turn and as the game progresses, the big spinners also come into play. They have left a little bit of residual moisture underneath the pitch. So the fast bowlers will have their say at the start,” former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik said at the pitch report, indicating assistance for pacers. 

Considering the reverse-swing at the venue and his skillset, India might have preferred him over the likes of Kuldeep and Axar. Not only that, but his workhorse ability also makes him a definite pick in these conditions. Alongside that, the Bengal bowler’s numbers with the bat too are quite impressive, as vindicated by his 42-ball 43, where he smashed three fours and four sixes in quite an enterprising knock. 

The 27-year-old was also mesmerizing on Test debut when he scalped three wickets in the opening hours of the fourth Test at Ranchi. At the first-class level, Deep has 116 wickets @ 22.86, with eight four-wicket hauls and five five-wicket hauls. 

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