When Akash Deep recorded 10 wickets in the Edgbaston Test, he locked himself into an exceedingly small circle of fast bowlers. Only one Indian, Sulakshan Kulkarni in ’86, had previously breached that mark in England.
The 28-year-old added three more in the match and insists that the haul owed as much to temperament as to seam and swing. He points to lessons absorbed from MS Dhoni’s stoic calm and Virat Kohli’s fierce will, claiming that a fortified underbelly of mental toughness made the difference when the match and conditions judged him.
In a conversation with Aaj Tak, Deep recounted Kohli’s counsel: “Virat always insists that if any doubt niggles at you, drill that skill so exhaustively that the doubt dissipates.” Dhoni’s axiom, he noted, orbited a similar axis: “The sense of certitude you carry in competition is forged in the hours of rehearsal, Dhoni once told me.”
Deep stressed that such counsel transcended catchy rhetoric; they crystallised into behavioural tenets. “When a motion has been replicated repeatedly, anxiety is disarmed in pressure situations,” he remarked.
In the second Test, Deep’s figures read 4 for 53 and 6 for 65, and he became the architect of a decisive victory. However, his resonance stretched beyond the match in which he topped the cards.
Deep reflected on India’s tactical call in the final Test at The Oval, when the decision was made in the fourth innings to resist the temptation of the second new ball. Under cloudy skies, the older ball continued to swing, and the team identified that moment as their greatest opportunity. “That final match held critical weight,” Deep noted. “Trailing 2-1, every ounce of concentration counted. We resolved to exploit the swing and force the wicket.” The intention was to produce enough lateral movement to compromise the batting rhythm.
The calculation was validated on the final day. India sealed the match by a margin of six runs. Set 374, England collapsed from 347 for six to 367 all out within a streaming, frenetic hour. Mohammed Siraj rendered a ruthless five-for, punctuated by Prasidh Krishna’s incisive strike at the top and late order.
The outcome equalised the series at 2-2. For Deep, the finish was a concrete reminder that thorough preparation often resides in choices made well before play commences.
