Boria Majumdar
One of the most interesting moments in the Oval Test was the Akash Deep send-off to Ben Duckett. I have to say I was, and am, against any bowler putting his hand around a batter after dismissing him or her. And had tweeted to that effect as well. Having said that, I was unaware of what Akash was trying to tell Duckett. Or if there was a trailer to what eventually happened. And that’s why it was inevitable that I’d ask Akash this when I sat down with him at 10pm last night to look back at the series and his efforts.
To recap for my readers – Duckett had started to attack Akash and Siraj from ball one and played unconventional shots like the lap-slog and the reverse. Just as Sam Konstas did to Jasprit Bumrah in the Boxing Day Test, Duckett managed to rattle the Indians by doing so. He used the charge multiple times and had raced away at the start of England’s innings.
“So what did you say to Ben Duckett after getting him out?” I asked Akash. It was a pretty straightforward question and one that I had to ask as part of the long interview.
“I have a good record against Duckett and have got him out a few times,” said Akash. “I have always fancied my chances against the left-handers and he is no different. On that day, he was trying to throw me off my line and length and had played a number of unconventional shots. That’s when he said to me that it was his day and I will not be able to get him out.
“The truth is, if a batter moves around the pitch and plays these shots, your line and length does get impacted, for you don’t really know what he will do next. That’s what was happening. Also, England were off to a quick start and we needed a wicket. We were defending a modest score and wickets were critical. When I got him out (smiles), I said to him: ‘You miss, I hit. Not always will you win. This time, I win’. It was a continuation of what he was saying to me, and it was all done in good spirit.”
That wicket, in hindsight, set the tone for a fantastic Indian fightback after lunch and England collapsed from 109-1 at the interval to 247 all out.
Akash did speak about a host of things, including his fantastic 66 as nightwatchman and how he went about that innings. He also spoke of the unforgettable pull to get to his 50, the impact of Mohammed Siraj and what makes him special, Shubman Gill as skipper, and how the change room stayed positive all through the tour. Finally, he described the Indian state of mind at the start of the final day and gave us an insight into what was going on.
The full interview will be out on RevSportz social media handles at 12 noon. Promo at 10am.
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