Rohit didn't let me feel the pressure of international cricket: Akash Deep

India’s newest pace sensation, Akash Deep praised Test skipper Rohit Sharma for easing him through international cricket so well that he didn't even realise that there was a difference between the level of Indian domestic cricket and the five-day stuff played globally. 

“I am very fortunate to play for India under Rohit bhaiya. He keeps things so simple. I had some hesitation when I came to the Indian team, about the pressure, some confusion,” Akash was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo ahead of the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur, starting September 27. 

“But when I got to the ground, he made things so simple for me that I didn't know if I was playing domestic cricket or international cricket. I don't think in my life I could have asked for a captain who makes things so simple,” added the 27-year-old. 

Akash, who has featured in two Tests for India and who made his debut against England earlier this year, also hailed the Indian domestic system for being a grinder that churns out finished products for the big stage. 

"The structure the BCCI has for domestic cricket is so strong that by the time you get to this level, you have already played a lot of good-quality cricket. The processes we follow to get here, we just need to follow those and take those forward,” he said. 

Akash, who was born in Bihar’s Sasaram but, like most other youngsters in Sasaram, migrated to Varanasi in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh for better prospects, also had a story to tell about Green Park Stadium, which to date remains the only stadium in UP to have hosted more than 10 Test matches.  

"I am from Banaras [Varanasi]. I had heard of the stadium - Green Park - when I was young. I thought that it was because the whole ground was green. I hadn't seen any stadiums at the time. I remembered this after coming here, that the first stadium I had heard of was Green Park. It feels nice that I am here, the place I had heard of as a kid."

India are 1-0 up in the two-match series against the visitors and would look to secure the series by winning the Kanpur game as well. 

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