On February 23, 2024, at Ranchi, Bengal’s pacer Akash Deep made his Test debut for India against England. He has heaped praises on Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian fast bowler who is a legend in his own right. In his view, Bumrah is made in a different fashion by God and it is quite difficult to follow him.
“Every bowler in the world has his own unique action and technique, each one being great in their own way. I follow Rabada a bit, and Bumrah is a legend. It’s hard to follow him. ‘Bumrah bhai ko bhagwan ne alag hi bana k bheja hai (He has been uniquely crafted by God), and I can’t learn everything from him. I also observe Siraj and learn from him. I pick up small things from various bowlers, but I don’t follow just one bowler too much,” Akash Deep was quoted as saying by IANS.
Last week at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, Akash’s performance for India B during the Duleep Trophy 2024 game against India A was indeed amazing. He took four wickets in the first innings and five in the second innings. His nine-wicket haul in the opening match of this high-level domestic tournament led to his retention on the Indian Test team for the opening Test against Bangladesh scheduled for MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai from September 19 onwards.
“This is a great responsibility that I have been given which enables me to serve my team. Shami Bhai has got injured… I regard it as a responsibility and am putting all efforts to prove myself to the selectors and BCCI management who have trusted me with this,” said Akash Deep.
The 27-year-old bowler was also very grateful for India’s captain Rohit Sharma whom he believes handles everything well with simple plans that make cricket much easier.
“I played my first match under Rohit Bhaiya in Ranchi. At that time, I was thinking how daunting it could be to represent India for the first time. When I played my first game, it almost felt like I was not playing for India at all; there’s something special about him. He has this ability to manage everything perfectly, make you feel comfortable through his talks and offer simple plans which make cricket seem easy. Any cricketer would consider them as fortunate to play under him,” he added.
