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Akash Deep scored his first Test fifty, at The Oval, thrilling the Indian team. As a night watchman, he hit a boundary off Gus Atkinson to reach the milestone.
Gautam Gambhir’s reaction to Akash Deep’s fifty was pure gold
The Indian dressing room looked cheerful and jubilant when Akash Deep smashed his maiden Test fifty on Saturday at The Oval. The tail-ender was sent in to bat at number 4 as a night watchman at the stroke of stumps on day 2 of the ongoing 5th Test. He returned stronger the following day, smashing the English pacers left, right and centre and bringing up his first-ever fifty in Test cricket.
In the 38th over of India’s second innings, Akash whacked Gus Atkinson’s length delivery through square leg for a boundary and reached the milestone. He pumped his fist in delight and pointed at the Indian crest as he raised his bat.
The Indian dressing room looked lively. Captain Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja gestured to him to take his helmet off to celebrate, while head coach Gautam Gambhir was all smiles.
Resuming on 4, Akash showed intent from the start, lofting left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell over mid-wicket for four in the day’s opening over. He continued to take on the bowlers, particularly Gus Atkinson, against whom he brought up his fifty with a slog. Akash was eventually undone by a sharp short ball from Jamie Overton that targeted his ribs, resulting in a catch at point.
England, missing Chris Woakes due to a shoulder injury, lacked bite in their bowling. Their fielding too let them down, with Zak Crawley dropping a simple chance at third slip off Josh Tongue.
The pitch, unlike the first two days, offered little help to the bowlers, allowing batters to score freely. While Akash took the attacking route, Jaiswal played steadily at the other end, occasionally showing flair, including a cheeky ramp shot off Overton that raced to the boundary.
(With Agency Inputs)
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had …Read More
A cricket enthusiast whose dreams of playing for India paved the way for a compelling journey in journalism. With a comprehensive coverage spanning international and domestic cricket across formats, I have had … Read More
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