Akash Deep ‘made a promise’ to himself which rocked England’s self-belief at the Oval: ‘I made this commitment…'

Shubman Gill's India had a series to remember against England, as the visitors returned home after levelling the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at 2-2. Harry Brook and Joe Root looked set to help the hosts chase down 374 to win the series 3-1. However, Mohammed Siraj had other plans. He returned with five wickets, helping India register a narrow six-run win in front of a jam-packed crowd at the Oval. Akash Deep scored his maiden fifty in the second innings of the Oval Test against England(AP)

While all the chatter is about Siraj, and rightly so, one cannot discount the performance of Akash Deep. The pacer was expected to step up with the ball. He did so, but he also chipped in with the bat, smashing his maiden fifty in the second innings of the Oval Test.

Coming in as the nightwatchman on Day 3, Akash Deep saw off the rest of the day and then returned on Day 4 to eventually play a knock of 66 runs off 94 balls with the help of 12 boundaries. As soon as he completed his fifty, Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir were seen beaming with joy.

Ravindra Jadeja asked the pacer to remove his helmet and soak in the applause from the Oval crowd.

Speaking to Aaj Tak about his accomplishment with the bat, Akash Deep said, “I never play my cricket based on hope. I promised myself at night that I would not get out. I made this commitment. I decided not to play a rash shot.”

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“If a good ball got me out, there was no issue with that, as these things can happen in cricket. If I didn't score any runs, I was fine with it. My aim was just to stay at the crease. I had this motivation, and this made batting easier,” he added.

‘We had the belief’

Akash Deep also said that his team had full belief heading into Day 5 of going away with a victory despite them needing four wickets and England requiring just 35 more runs.

England started the final day of the Oval Test with two boundaries, bringing the equation down to 27 runs with four wickets in hand. However, Siraj raised his hand as he stepped up for the visitors, taking the three wickets out of remaining four.

“It was an important match. We were trailing 1-2 in the series. We had played well in the series but we were behind. The wicket seemed flat in the Oval Test but later, the pitch started doing something,” said Akash Deep.

“The crowd was behind us, it was then that we had the belief of pulling off a win. We were talking that England would lose wickets in a heap and this is what exactly happened,” he added.

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