New Delhi [India], August 10 : Akash Deep's bat spoke volumes in the final Test at The Oval. Walking in at a tricky position as nightwatchman at number four, the pacer showcased remarkable grit and composure, scoring a career-best 66 off 94 balls with 12 boundaries. His 107-run partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal proved to be a decisive turning point, helping India level the five-match series 2-2.
Reflecting on the innings, Akash said to Boria Majumdar on Revsportz, "If we look at the matches we played, with the exception of one or two matches, the lower order was not making much runs overall. It's very crucial that the lower order - No. 9, 10, and 11 - add at least 25-30 runs for the team to do well. When I was sent as a nightwatchman, I wanted to use that opportunity and stay there for as long as possible. That was the only plan for the good of my team. In the morning, when I found them frustrated, I realised I can make some runs here too."
One of the highlights of his innings was the stylish boundary that brought up his maiden Test fifty.
When asked whether it was planned or just instinct, Akash revealed, "I saw a chance that if the ball was down the legside, and it went up in the air, there was no fielder, so we could get a boundary there. The plan was that if the ball was in the leg-stump area, I would hit it in the air. The shot got mistimed a bit."
With his maiden Test fifty, Akash Deep joins an elite list along with Hugh Trumble, Shane Warne, Imran Khan, Keith Miller and Richard Hadlee to become the 12th player with a ten-fer during a match and a fifty on an England tour.
Deep, with a first-class average of 11.48 before the Oval Test, is just the fourth Indian to score a men's Test fifty at No 4 in England this century, joining Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill.
Deep mesmerised one and all with a ten-wicket haul in a critic-silencing, era-defining win over England at Edgbaston by 336 runs, their first-ever Test win at the venue last month. During the Test match, Akash set a massive record, delivering India's best spell ever in England.
The pacer etched his name in the record books by registering the best bowling figures in a match for India in England, surpassing the long-standing record held by Chetan Sharma. Deep's match figures of 10/187 edged past Sharma's 10/188.
Deep is also the first Indian nightwatchman to score 50-plus runs since Amit Mishra (84 runs) against the same opponent at the same venue back in 2011.
The duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Akash Deep added 107 runs for the third wicket on Day 3 in the series decider. This partnership was the 18th 100-run stand in this ongoing England tour, the most in a Test series in this century (since 2000), surpassing 17 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2003-04.