Watch: RCB seamer Akash Deep sizzles with new ball on Test debut
The fast bowler bowled with high intensity and picked up three wickets, leaving England reeling at lunch.
The fourth Test of the India-England Test series got started at Ranchi on Friday. In a series of debutants, it was time for another debut for the home side. This time, fast bowler Akash Deep made his Test debut. He received his Test cap from the head coach Rahul Dravid.
The 27-year-old started brilliantly in his opening spell. He found sideways movement with the new ball and bowled with pace close to 140 kph. He was able to beat the bat numerous times during his opening spell. In his second over, he beat Zak Crawley with a corker but the ball turned out to be a no-ball.
Watch: Akash Deep picked up top three wickets of England
WWW 🤝 Akash Deep!
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Despite being denied wicket off a no-ball, Akash Deep kept bowling attacking lines and found help from the surface. His perseverance soon paid off when he got last match’s centurion Ben Duckett nicking through to Dhruv Jurel for 11. It took him just two more balls to dismiss England vice-captain Ollie Pope for a duck.
The fast bowler had his tails up and kept bowling with high intensity. Finally, he got the wicket of Zak Crawley, a wicket that was earlier denied earlier due to no-ball. He got the ball to seam in and breached Crawley’s defences to hit the top of off stump.
Watch: Akash Deep bowls Zak Crawley with a peach off a no-ball
Akash Deep's fiery opening spell summed up his memorable Test debut. He bowled a seven-over opening spell and produced figures of 7-0-24-3. His selection ahead of the more experienced Mukesh Kumar raised eyebrows earlier, but he proved his selection right with three wickets in his opening spell. India went on to pick up 5 wickets in the first session, reducing the visitors to 112/5 at lunch.