However, their resolve for a drawn result was shattered by a quiet yet persistent force named Akash Deep, who stood up to be the unlikely hero of an overseas Test win for India. Akash, stepping into the playing eleven at Edgbaston for a rested Jasprit Bumrah, bowled a spell that not only decimated England\u2019s batting order but also lit up Indian cricket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With figures of 10-187 - his maiden ten-wicket haul in just his eighth Test, including a fiery 6-99 in the fourth innings, Akash helped India seal a thumping series-levelling 336-run win - the first-ever Test match victory by an Asian side at Edgbaston.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But for those who have witnessed Akash\u2019s cricketing journey, particularly with Bengal, his brilliant display at Edgbaston was not entirely unexpected - it fulfilled the promise they saw in the fast bowler when he played in Bengal\u2019s cricketing ecosystem.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAll of us who have seen him bowl are not surprised by his performance at Edgbaston. I mean, I\u2019m happy, but I\u2019m not surprised really. I\u2019m not saying that he has done something which he\u2019s never done before because we\u2019ve seen him do well on a good batting wicket, and get good Test batters out often.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIn fact I\u2019m happy that he\u2019s done it at a higher level, but I\u2019m not surprised if that\u2019s the case as I would expect him to bowl like this. I\u2019ve seen him and Mukesh (Kumar, India pacer) do this to other teams when our fabulous fast bowling attack of him, Mukesh and Ishan Porel played together and (Ashoke) Dinda was present before,\u201d Joydeep Mukherjee, who spotted Akash as director of cricket operations at the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), told IANS in an exclusive conversation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Akash\u2019s performance also did not come as a surprise to Shreevats Goswami, the former Bengal wicketkeeper, who saw the fast bowler\u2019s exceptional talent during a 2019 CAB indoor net session.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I immediately understood that this guy is a great find by God\u2019s grace and a lambi race ka ghoda (one for the long haul). Then he got picked up for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games in Indore and played there really well by bowling quick.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI am very happy because I expected this, to be honest. It was about time this would happen because I have seen him from very close quarters. Having kept up against his bowling, I am not surprised at all with his Edgbaston performances. When the chips are down, he is somebody who will be relentless with his line and length even when there is no assist from the pitch,\u201d Goswami said in an exclusive conversation with IANS.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
One of the deliveries from Akash which still has the cricketing world talking is him totally bamboozling Joe Root with a nip-backer coming from wide of the crease which nipped away late to go past his outside edge and hit top of off-stump.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mukherjee stated the way Akash dismissed Root was one of the crucial learnings he got from being mentored by Waqar Younis and Ranadeb Bose, the current national junior selector, under CAB\u2019s Vision 2020 initiative \u2013 where his training, nutrition and residential needs were taken care of after being picked from second division cricket circuit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHis biggest plus point is that he does bowl a lot from the middle of the stumps, which is why he creates that angle and from that angle, it either goes away or goes in. He and Mukesh have been taught how to use the depth of the crease.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAs a batter, you have to play for the ball that\u2019s coming in. But he has that ability of going wide and then seaming it away, which is the one that got Root. The pace at which he bowled at Edgbaston, along with his physical condition, relentlessness, and accuracy, were top notch,\u201d said Mukherjee.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Goswami also expressed a similar sentiment. \"He uses his crease really well, as very rarely these days bowlers use their crease. Imagine a great batter like Joe Root, who was expecting the ball to come in, but the ball held the line slightly and got him out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"Sometimes people think he\u2019s not as quick, but when the batters are facing him, he\u2019s hard to face as he\u2019s a bit deceptive and got a quick bouncer as well. He picks up big wickets, doesn\u2019t get tail-enders out and that\u2019s the big thing,\" he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Akash\u2019s success at Edgbaston, marked by pinpoint accuracy, masterful crease usage, late swing, and relentless attack, is a testament to years spent honing his skills on lifeless Indian pitches. Akash\u2019s bowling in England is slightly fuller than what it was in Australia, something impressed Mukherjee, who also spoke with the fast bowler in post-match hours.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"For me, what stood out was the length he bowled, as even the commentators were praising about it. He was always attacking the stumps and not letting batters leave too many balls. So, that was heartening to see. But this is years of work that has gone into this happening.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Dismissing the aggressive Jamie Smith with a slow bouncer after being hit for two sixes demonstrated Akash\u2019s cricketing smarts, while getting the better of Ben Duckett in the first innings highlighted the rewards of a classic set-up executed well. Against the left-handed Duckett, Akash bowled three balls to him on the same spot angling in from round the wicket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But on the fourth delivery, Akash bowled at the same spot, but this time, got the ball to move away and it took Duckett\u2019s edge behind. \u201cIt\u2019s exactly how Stuart Broad used to get in the mind of David Warner. I have a feeling Akash getting the wood over Duckett will be similar to that - come around the wicket, get a batter out via an edge, and then in very next innings, get him clean bowled.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"That means Duckett is not able to pick up his deliveries. The Bengal team had a lot of left-handers, and bowling in the nets to very good left-handers meant Akash worked on bowling to those type of batters and result is there to see for all,\u201d added Goswami.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Following the win, Akash\u2019s voice became heavy with emotion as he dedicated his ten-wicket match haul to his elder sister, Akhand Jyoti, who has stage three colon cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. During his time of playing for the Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2025, Akash made sure to be at his sister\u2019s side in the hospital whenever he was there in the city.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI knew about it, but good that it\u2019s come from him. This has happened two months back, but he\u2019s handling it well. The sport stays with you for a while, but the person in you stays for the rest of your life. He\u2019s had mishaps \u2013 father and an elder brother passing away in six months.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe\u2019s very family-oriented, God-fearing, quiet boy who does all the right things. is. If you speak to anybody in the Indian team, they\u2019ll say the same thing about him - very good and lovely human being,\u201d said Mukherjee.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Akash\u2019s mental fortitude, forged through personal hardships, means he puts in 100 per cent effort while bowling every ball, believes Goswami. \u201cThe difficulties he\u2019s faced in life have also meant whenever he bowls, he really bowls his heart out on the field. I mean, you can see it - the attitude and aggression is there. I also have a feeling if he keeps on playing Test cricket consistently, he might get a century with the bat as well. I won\u2019t be surprised and trust me he will do it.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Having enjoyed seeing Akash\u2019s talent and potential in a small club game, on the recommendation of Dattatreya Mukherjee, a former fast bowler who won Ranji Trophy in 1989-90, Mukherjee played a key role in bringing him into the CAB\u2019s Vision 2020 initiative. He still raves about Akash, 28, being a very hardworking boy with great work ethics.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhatever you ask of him, it\u2019ll be done. For example, head coach Arun Lal told the fast bowlers to eat dinner between 7.30 and 8 pm. So, every day, he and Mukesh came and by eight o\u2019clock, they had their dinner. Now, this is just his honesty to the game that our coach had said, so it has to be followed. That is why the success is also there.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just that, it\u2019s taken a bit of time. He\u2019s very serious about his fitness, bowling, and diet. Like, if the trainer tells him, no junk food, means it will be followed. So, when everything is put together, you see somebody doing all the right things, then success is bound to come, right? It\u2019s just a question of time. You wait for your opportunities and hope you get it. Once that opportunity comes, then that\u2019s it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Years of hard work and self-discipline have paid off for Akash, who has become the first Indian fast bowler since Umesh Yadav (2018) to achieve a ten-wicket haul in a Test match. It\u2019s this blend of relentlessly working hard on his skills and being disciplined towards his craft that makes Akash\u2019s rise remarkable.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe tries to get lbws and bowled dismissals more - always attacking the stumps and that\u2019s what you want, especially when you play against England, right? Because they are always trying to attack you, so if they miss, Akash will hit. He can use angles from both around and over the wicket and that\u2019s very rare.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWith the angle he bowls, he can target cracks on pitches during days three, four and five, and that\u2019s what exactly he did at Edgbaston. Because he\u2019s gone through the grind of Ranji Trophy, there\u2019s this feeling of \u2018being there, and done that\u2019. It\u2019s just that this came just against a different opponent and with more confidence due to the India logo,\u201d added Goswami.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe tries to get lbws and bowled dismissals more - always attacking the stumps and that\u2019s what you want, especially when you play against England, right? Because they are always trying to attack you, so if they miss, Akash will hit. He can use angles from both around and over the wicket and that\u2019s very rare.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI want Akash to come in, open, straightaway get into a round of wicket angle and get into Duckett\u2019s head. I will not be surprised if this happens at Lord\u2019s. If it\u2019s a green wicket there, it will be even better as sometimes I\u2019ve seen he tries to release the ball instead of hitting it. If it\u2019s flat, I don\u2019t think there will be any problem. If Akash gets a little green and healthy track, then he will be more confident to do well at Lord\u2019s,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\r\n\r\n