Akash Deep found himself in a predicament at this time last year.
He thought that because he was mostly an inswing bowler, he was losing out on many wickets because he was unable to remove the ball from right-handers with any consistency. However, he wasn’t sure if he actually needed to be an outswinger, as doing so would mean deviating from his inherent abilities. He therefore sought guidance from Laxmi Ratan Shukla, his Bengal coach.
“Please don’t make that error,” Shukla remembers urging Akash Deep.
“He had been convinced by someone that he need the departure delivery. That was not my favourite concept. What use is an outswinger when he may straighten the ball sometimes owing to irregularities in the environment outside the pitch? especially considering how successful you currently are in domestic cricket with the red and white balls?”
Instead of taking that path, Akash Deep paid attention to his coach.
After a year after making that choice and winning the Ranji Trophy, the pacer was bowling in a Test match at Ranchi, which he would often tell people was “midway” between Beda and Kolkata, the cities he belonged to and played cricket for. Rahul Dravid gave him the cap after giving an emotional speech in which he recounted his challenging journey of losing two family members in a single year, travelling twice in order to pursue a career in cricket, and overcoming setbacks and disappointments to eventually get at this point.
After the play in Ranchi on opening day, Akash Deep commented, “I was very emotional when he delivered that speech.” “I wanted to make a difference in my life after losing both my father and my brother in the same year. Bengal gave me a lot of support when I went to play cricket after leaving my house.
“My success can be greatly attributed to my family, as losing two family members in a single year leaves one with nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
“I would like to honour my father with this performance. I was unable to accomplish anything while he was alive, but he wanted his kid to accomplish something in life. Thus, this is for him.
Perhaps it was Dravid’s remarks that inspired him, but Akash Deep looked the part from the very first delivery he bowled. Once again, the batsmen were being menaced by his sharp deliveries delivered outside of the crease; but, this time, the bowlers were elite Test players from England’s top order.
During his first seven-over burst, Akash Deep impressed with not just his pace in the high 130s and early 140s but also his consistency in hitting the hard distances on a slow pitch. He was hitting the same nine-square-inch outside off-stump at the Amitabh Chaudhary Pavilion End with each ball, and he was noticing noticeable inward movement. Due to the wobbling seam position, which gave the batter cause for hesitation, several deliveries even went the opposite way. That all added up to three wickets in that particular period.
Deliver his ball to Zak Crawley so he can send the off-stump spinning around. Even though he had overstepped and lost his first Test wicket, the manner he pitched the ball and got it to deck in said volumes about the inherent abilities he had trusted in months before. As destiny would have it, he would go on to dismiss Crawley with a delivery that was four clicks faster. This time, the off-stump held firm, but Crawley was dismissed.
Similar to that, his delivery to Pope only resulted in an LBW rather than a bowled out blow. His ball to Ben Duckett, which resulted in his maiden Test wicket, was particularly noteworthy, though. It nibbled away from the left-hander just enough to grab the edge, then pitched on a nice length from around the wicket.
Naturally, his ability to control his nerves played a part in his ability to strike the proper spots from ball one, but he also contributed his hard yards in domestic cricket, particularly this season. He was practicing “spot bowling” in Kalyani at the beginning of this one. This is a practice where a bowler marks a location on the field and spends hours trying to hit the ball in the same area. Shukla recalls that he had a sheet chart by his side throughout such sessions. “He used to go to the chart after each over he bowled and mark the ‘excellent balls’ and the ‘decent balls’ he had pitched. ‘Bad balls’ was not an option because It was forbidden for him to bowl them. I see, no negativity.”
Shukla perceives many similarities between Akash Deep—both as a person and as a cricket player. The bowler frequently comes up and says, “Hum wicket nikaal ke denge sir (I will get the breakthrough sir),” on days when Bengal are struggling on the pitch.
Shukla continues, “Khelne ka jazbaa aur iccha doosre ladkon se alag kerta hai usko,” essentially highlighting how Akash Deep stands out from the others due to his ambition and enthusiasm. For the coach, it was also the first item that caught his attention. “Everything about you changes when you are unique. He continues to train without tiring. I don’t think ‘professional’ describes him. He’s a cow, but I would call him ‘khadoos’ when we met off the pitch. He always has his whole heart in it.
“And he pays attention. He was hurt following the Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year, which prevented him from competing for the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He was also going to miss the Ranji Trophy, but I had to threaten him to make the team that season. I instructed him to inform NCA of his desire to attend at whatever expense. I informed them that Bengal needed him, even though they wanted to take care of him for ten more days. The man took my advice, played, and claimed 41 wickets. See where he’s at now.”
Shukla got a text message from Akash Deep last night at a late hour. The WhatsApp message said, “Sir, hum khel rahe hain (Sir I am playing tomorrow)”.
He was only able to go back to Shukla in the morning because he goes to bed by nine o’clock. “Bajrangbali ka naam lena aur kood jaana (Take the name of god and just dive right in),” was the response.
The news of Akash Deep’s debut didn’t surprise Shukla in the slightest; they’ve known each other since their U23 days. “I instructed him to stick to his routine and remember his lines outside of off-stump, just like he has been doing for months. He has been honing that skill for months because it is his strength.”
Akash Deep learned about his first call-up to the Indian Test team while he was in Trivandrum. Shukla was by his side during Bengal’s Ranji Trophy match against Kerala. Shukla had nothing more than a box of amla (Indian gooseberries) as a farewell present for his student.
Amla?
Shukla says, “I’ve been giving them to him for the past two years.” It is an excellent source of vitamin C. It guards against injuries and boosts endurance. Absolutely no possibility of cramping.”
That is demonstrated by the scorching opening spell and the 10 overs from Akash Deep that came after. The only bad thing that may have happened to him that day was that he consumed those almonds right before the game started.
