Akash Deep, the Indian fast bowler and nightwatchman, spoke about his 66 against England in the final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. He said he just wanted to stay at the wicket as long as he could to wear out the bowlers.
Coming in at number four in a tough situation, Akash Deep scored a career-best 66 off 94 balls with 12 fours. His 107 run partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal was the key, as India tied the five match series 2-2.
Akash told ANI, I was just thinking about what the team needed. If the team needs something from you, you should do it. I felt lucky to be in that situation. Whenever I play for a team, I feel confident and I want to contribute. That day I just wanted to stay at the crease for a long time. I thought if I stay there, the bowlers would get tired and it would be easy for the other batters.
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With his first Test fifty, Akash Deep is now the 12th player to take ten wickets in a match and score a fifty on an England tour, joining Hugh Trumble, Shane Warne, Imran Khan, Keith Miller and Richard Hadlee.
Before the Oval Test, Deep’s first-class average was 11.48. He is also the fourth Indian in this century to score a Test fifty at No. 4 in England, along with Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill. He is also the first Indian nightwatchman to score more than 50 runs since Amit Mishra’s 84 against England at the same ground in 2011.
The 107 run partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal on Day 3 was the 18th century stand in the current England tour, which is the most in a Test series this century, beating the 17 in the 2003-04 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Akash Deep also played a key role with the ball in India’s win in the second Test at Edgbaston, taking 10 wickets for 187 runs. This was India’s best bowling performance in a match in England and only the second time an Indian has taken ten wickets in a match there.About his bowling, Deep said, I wasn’t thinking too much, but I knew it was a big match. We had lost the first match. Also Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t in the team. So I felt I had to do my best. I didn’t aim for 5 or 10 wickets; I just wanted to bowl in good areas and be consistent.
Deep finished the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 with 13 wickets at 36.46.
