Akash Deep or Mohammed Siraj? - Aakash Chopra gets confused on who's making debut between the two bowlers

The fourth Test match of the five-match series between India and England is going on at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium in Ranchi where England lost five wickets before reaching the 150 mark. Akash Deep is making his Test debut for India in this game and has bowled brilliantly in his first Test taking three wickets as of now. Former India opener Aakash Chopra feels that Akash Deep is not making his debut and has already played some 10-15 Test matches in his career.

Akash Deep got Zak Crawley out early on but the ball was a no-ball and he missed out on his first Test wicket at that time. He later got Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope in the same over followed by Zak Crawley. Aakash Chopra said that the confident performance shown by Akash Deep did not look like someone who was making his debut but a seasoned player. He also said that it was rather looking like Mohammed Siraj was making his debut by the performance.

“Not easy for a fast bowler to make his debut in India and Akash Deep took three wickets in his first spell. And all three dismissals were proper wickets. Akash sent back Duckett and Pope in the same over and then Crawley could not make the most of his reprieve as he was cleaned up for a second time. It did not like Akash was making his Test debut,” Aakash Chopra said while speaking on JioCinema.

“Somehow you feel if a pacer is making his Test debut and then there will be nerves and the debutant will be in the shadows of his senior pacer. But if we don’t tell you today that who was making his Test debut, Siraj or Akash? One might have felt that Siraj was making his debut because Akash Deep bowled like he had been playing Test cricket for a long time. India team is going through a period of transition,” Chopra added.

Also Read: Michael Vaughan delivers “shocker” verdict on Ranchi pitch for IND vs ENG 4th Test

Akash Deep replaced Jasprit Bumrah in the Playing XI

Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the fourth Test to manage his workload. He has been a regular member of the Indian team since the Asia Cup 2023 and the Indian team needs him in full fitness for the ICC T20 World Cup. Jasprit Bumrah is the highest wicket-taker in this series as he has taken 17 wickets in three Test matches at a stunning average of 13.65 which includes two four-fers and a six-fer.

Akash Deep was handed his Test debut cap and became the 313th player to play Test cricket for India. He has impressed early on in the game taking three wickets in the first session of the game. The 27-year-old pacer hails from Bihar but represents West Bengal in domestic cricket.

Akash Deep has played 30 First-Class matches and has taken 104 wickets at an average of 23.58 which includes four fifers in his career. He plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL and has made his way to the Indian team after performing in the domestic circuit.

Also Read: Watch – Rahul Dravid’s emotional speech while handing over Test debut cap to Akash Deep