Akash Deep checks all the boxes for India's pace bowling squad

With a challenging Australia cricket tour on the horizon, India's focus going into the upcoming Test season is on providing strong support for pace bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. While Mohammed Siraj is a reliable option with his experience, India must bolster their pace attack further to ensure consistent performances in all conditions, particularly with Shami still recovering from injury.

There are Mukesh Kumar and Arshdeep Singh who are excelling in white-ball cricket. But Test bowling is a different challenge. With no pressure of run rate, the batter has time to settle down. Strike bowlers must have the ability to produce a ball that can breach a tight defence, like what Bumrah and Shami possess. They can’t just wait for a batter to make a mistake.

The mark of these bowlers is the manner of dismissals. For the fast bowlers to build a reputation and have the opposition under pressure, they should send the stumps flying, have the batters caught behind or nail them leg before.

That’s why there is excitement around the emergence of Bengal pacer Akash Deep. In February, on Test debut against England in Ranchi, he made everyone take notice with a fiery opening spell. Like his idol Shami, he made the ball land on the seam and skid off the surface. Sharing the new ball, he issued a warning straightaway by sending opener Zak Crawley’s off-stump cartwheeling with an in-dipping ball. It turned out to be a no-ball, but those watching were glued to his bowling after that.

The 27-year-old treated cricket lovers to an exhibition of brilliant pace bowling. In his fifth over, he dealt a double blow – he had Ben Duckett caught behind and Ollie Pope LBW. When in his next over he produced another in-coming beauty to bowl Crawley, he had hit the top of his off-stump twice in one hour.

It’s quality bowling, says Paras Mhambrey, who was India’s bowling coach then. “Apart from his control because of his first-class experience, what I really like about him is he is skiddier than he looks. He is not a guy who runs in like a typical fast bowler, compared to say, a Brett Lee. He just runs in nicely but hurries the batters a lot more than they anticipate. The ball to Crawley unfortunately was a no ball, but it really came in, skidded and cut. He is not a typical pacer who will swing the ball; he is hit-the-deck also, which as a batter really challenges you because it comes in quicker than you anticipate,” he says.

Akash Deep started the new season impressively last week in Duleep Trophy, with a match haul of 9/116 for India A in their loss to India B. He put on a show with spectacular dismissals. He squared up Nitish Kumar Reddy with late seam movement to hit the top of off-stump in the first innings. In the second, he rattled left-hander Washington Sundar’s stumps by bending the ball back off the seam. The performance sets him up nicely to be in contention for the third seamer’s slot for the home series against Bangladesh starting on September 19.

With his ability to crank it to 140 kph-plus, Mhambrey calls Akash Deep a bowler for all conditions. “On subcontinent wickets, Bumrah or Shami have been effective because of their ability to use the old ball. You need to be able to reverse the ball, you need pace to be effective. Akash ticks both the boxes. He has the ability to use the new ball; in the Test, I saw him swing the ball both ways. Also, coming around the wicket and taking the ball away from the left-handers for those different angles. Plus, he can use the old ball because he has the pace. At some point if he wants, he has the ability to notch is up a little, that’s where reverse swing will come in.”

Mhambrey is confident Akash Deep will be effective in Australia too. “In Australia, there’s a little challenge, you do get flatter wickets at some venues and with Kookaburra, after 30-35 overs the seam goes flat. What you need in that space is a little extra pace and control. Akash will give you that as the third/fourth seamer. Hoping that Shami recovers by then, India will have a quality seam attack.”