India had so much to cheer after they reached the fourth Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) with a drawn score line of the series. This happened on the back of the heroics for the last wicket in the batting department by Akash Deep and Jasprit Bumrah during the third fixture at the Gabba in Brisbane of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.
In reply to Australia’s 445 runs in the first innings, the blue brigade was struggling at 213/9 with the wicket of set batter Ravindra Jadeja, who walked back to the dressing room for 77 runs in 123 balls with the help of seven boundaries and one six. The onus was on Akash Deep and Bumrah to take India over the follow-on score of 246.
The last-wicket pair kept on taking the singles and doubles, which put pressure on the home side. Once the field was up, they went for a few big shots to get them to the mark as the entire dressing room celebrated the moment, with their head coach Gautam Gambhir, and former captain Virat Kohli shaking hands.
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Akash Deep smashed 31 runs in 44 deliveries with the help of a couple of boundaries and one six at the strike rate of over 70 as the tourists finished on 260. The 47-run stand saved the visiting side from getting followed on, which could have been addressed as a huge embarrassment in a rain-affected fixture at the Gabba.
“Virat Bhaiya gave me that bat on his own”- Akash Deep
The bat with the MRF logo always belongs to Virat, but the latter gifted it to the Bengal bowler during his time in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the Indian Premier League. The bowler cracked a few big sixes during the second of the two-match Test series against Bangladesh at the Green Park stadium in Kanpur.
Akash Deep revealed that it was the same blade that he used during the first innings of the third Brisbane Test match.
“Virat Bhaiyya asked me, do you need a bat? I said ‘Yes, who in the world wouldn’t want your bat?’) Then he presented it to me.” The 28-year-old explained during a discussion with the Press Times of India (PTI).
Some patient defense and his decent technique were enough for him to help some crucial runs with the bat in the lower order for the side. It was a cut shot through the slip cordon for a boundary that grew the cheer among the fans and the players, which was followed by a huge six into the stands against the home captain Pat Cummins by Akash Deep.
The Rohtak-born fast bowler has shed light on his relationship with Kohli and what helped him with the bat on that day when the national side needed some contributions from him.
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“I have been there with Bhaiyya (Kohli) for some time now. But you always have that thing at the back of your mind, whether it is the right thing to ask for a bat from someone of Virat Bhaiyya’s stature.” Akash Deep claimed.
Akash Deep was not part of the playing eleven for the first couple of Test in Perth and during the day-night affair in Adelaide. He earned three wickets in Brisbane and two more in Melbourne but asked the batters so many tough questions without getting the expected result.
“Especially during match time, when he is focused and in his zone, you don’t want to disturb him, but Bhaiyya, on his own, gave me the bat.” Bengal’s right-arm fast bowler concluded.