New Delhi, Sep 11 2024-
India fast bowler Akash Deep has hailed pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, saying “he has been uniquely crafted by God” and it’s really tough to follow his actions.
Akash made his memorable Test debut in February against England in Ranchi, where Rahul Dravid handed him his cap. He made everyone take notice with a fiery opening spell. With impressive performances in red-ball cricket, he now earned a spot in the 16-member squad for the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai.
“This is a huge responsibility that I have been given, allowing me to serve my team. Shami bhai is currently injured… I see this as a responsibility and am trying my best to live up to the faith that the selectors and BCCI management have placed in me,” Akash Deep told IANS on his selection to the Indian squad.
Asked about his inspiration behind his fast bowling, Akash Deep said, “I don’t follow just one bowler too much”, and hailed Bumrah as a unique bowler while admitting that he can’t learn everything from him as he is tough to follow.
“Every bowler in the world has their own unique action and technique, and each one is great in their own way. I follow Rabada a bit, and Bumrah is a legend. It’s hard to follow him. ‘Bumrah bhai ko bhagwan ne alag hi bana k bheja hai (He has been uniquely crafted by God), and I can’t learn everything from him. I also observe Siraj and learn from him. I pick up small things from various bowlers, but I don’t follow just one bowler too much,” said Akash Deep.
Reflecting on his experience of playing his first international match under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, the fast bowler was full of praises for the T20 world cup winning skipper and highlighted his ability to keep the dressing room at ease for the team members.
“I played my first match under Rohit bhaiya in Ranchi. I was thinking about how difficult it would be to play my debut match for the country. There’s something special about him—when I played that first game, it didn’t even feel like I was playing for India. He manages things so well, talks in a way that puts you at ease, and gives simple plans that make cricket easier. Playing under him is a matter of luck for any cricketer,” he said.
On working under new head coach Gautam Gambhir, he said. “I haven’t played under him (Gautam Ganbhir) yet, but I met him during the IPL. I’ve watched him closely. I had just started playing when the 2007 T20 World Cup took place. The way he fights for the game of cricket makes me feel like I’ll really enjoy playing under his leadership as well.”
The 27-year-old has started the new domestic season impressively last week in Duleep Trophy, with a match haul of 9-116 for India A in their loss to India B. Speaking about his strategy against Bangladesh, who have recently a inflicted a 2-0 Test series sweep over Pakistan, he said he won’t try to do anything different but instead focus on his strength and perfect areas to bowl.
“As a bowler, you can rely on your areas and strengths, which increases the chances of success and makes it easier to perform. I won’t try to do anything different. In Test cricket, we need to bowl in good areas and restrict the runs. When you stop the flow of runs, the batter starts making mistakes. Slowly, you get an idea of what mistakes the batter is making and what plans we can execute,” said the fast bowler.
Asked about his share of struggles in his cricketing journey so far, Akash Deep replied sensibly, citing a famous Bollywood movie dialogue, “Kehte hain agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaho, to puri kainaat usse tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai.”.
“When you work hard to achieve something, it doesn’t feel like a struggle; rather, you enjoy it. I never felt that I struggled a lot for cricket. There were challenges in the family, and even if I didn’t play cricket, those challenges would still be there. I enjoyed cricket, whether it was club cricket or practice matches. Everyone motivated and supported me, whether it was state coaches or club coaches,” he said.
Reacting to the comparison of white ball and red ball cricket, the fast bowler opined that red-ball cricket is tough, where along with physical strength, being mentally strong is equally important.
“Red-ball cricket is tough for fast bowlers. If you can survive it, you can manage white-ball cricket as well. In red-ball cricket, you play for five days, and there might be situations where you have to bowl for three to four days. That’s why physical strength is crucial, and being mentally strong is equally important. As a fast bowler, if you bowl a spell of 10-15 overs before lunch or tea, your body feels tired, and at that point, your mental strength plays a significant role,” he said.
The right-arm pacer saw legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar as his inspiration. He said, “Sachin sir’s down-to-earth nature has inspired me since childhood. Besides his batting, I followed his personality, which kept me motivated.” (Agency)
