Living in present, Duleep Trophy show helps Akash Deep retain India spot

Akash Deep, who took nine wickets, although in a losing cause for India A side in the first-round match of the Duleep Trophy 2024, kept him in good stead eventually as he retained his place in the Indian Test side that was picked for the first Test of the two-match series against Bangladesh. 

However, before the senior men's selection committee made the announcement late Sunday (September 8) evening, Akash said that he was living in the present and not thinking too much about whether or not he would be part of the Indian squad. 

"I think of every match as my last match. I don't think too far ahead. What happens [the selection] is not in my hands. I've now finished a match, tomorrow is a rest day so how can I recover well? I think more about those things. I'm only thinking in the present,” Akash, who took a five-wicket haul in the second innings to complement his four-wicket haul in the first innings was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo. 

Akash, who hails from Bihar’s Sasaram and plays for Bengal in domestic cricket, made his India debut in March this year against England during the Ranchi Test. Since then, he has not played regular cricket, and thus, keeping his body in shape and simulated according to match conditions was a big challenge for the lanky pacer. 

"In the IPL, I played just one game. As a fast bowler, it's difficult to come back [after such a long stretch]. I was at the NCA for a month, I played a lot of practice games keeping in mind the kind of situations we will face in a real match, so that the muscle memory is used to the rigours of a first-class match,” said the 27-year-old. 

With the first Test in Chennai, starting on September 19, Akash might be India’s third pacer alongside Jasprit Bumarh and Mohammed Siraj because of his ability to bowl long spells and the ability to generate reverse swing. He bowled 41 overs in the Duleep Trophy game at Bengaluru, the most by any bowler in either team. But the hunger to do more doesn’t die in him.

"As a player, the moment you're satisfied, you won't learn. As long as that hunger is there to learn, you should not be satisfied. Getting wickets and the final result is different. The ball that I wanted to bowl, how much of it was I able to execute properly? What could I have improved? That's what I was thinking about all the time,” he said.

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