Indian pacer Akash Deep has credited MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli for shaping his mindset during his rise in international cricket. Notably, he was part of the India squad in the recently concluded five-match Test series against England. The Bengal pacer had a brilliant time in the middle and played a crucial role in India’s dramatic win at The Oval that helped level the five-match Test series against England 2-2.
He was the standout performer of the series, picking up 13 wickets in three Tests. His most memorable moment came during the second Test at Edgbaston, where he etched his name in the record books by becoming only the second Indian bowler after Chetan Sharma in 1986 to claim 10 wickets in a Test match in England. Deep returned figures of 4 for 81 and 6 for 106 in the two innings.
After the end of the series, Deep revealed how Kohli and Dhoni’s advice helped build his self-belief. He revealed the advice he received from the India greats and added that confidence plays a key role in an athlete's life.
“Virat always says that if you have doubts about something, practice it so much that you never have any questions. Dhoni also says that practice is what gives you confidence. Cricket is a game of confidence, and you will only have belief if you work hard,” Deep told Aaj Tak.
Deep opens up on the dramatic Day 5 of Oval Test
Reflecting on the thrilling final Test at The Oval, Deep discussed India’s strategic decision not to take the second new ball during England’s tense chase of 374. That played a crucial role as Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna made the old ball talk and clinched wickets at regular intervals.
“Big legends with so much experience were in the dressing room. Since the ball was moving a lot and it was an old ball, scoring wasn’t easy because the ball didn’t race off the bat. Our plan was to try and take wickets using that movement. If that didn’t work, we would have gone for the new ball,” he mentioned.