Overview:
He mentioned that the batters often ask the lower-order players to chip in with runs, and Gill felt that Akash had silenced them with his solid knock.
Shubman Gill and the Indian team were deeply impressed by Akash Deep‘s stellar batting performance on Day 3 of the Oval Test. Akash, who had stepped in as a nightwatchman on Day 2, remained calm and composed, scoring 66 runs off 94 balls and hitting 12 boundaries.
He added 107 runs with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who went on to score a century. The batters played a crucial role in setting India a demanding target of 374 runs. Although Akash had made several contributions in the past, this innings earned praise from his captain and teammates. In a video posted by the BCCI, Gill heaped massive praise on the right-handed batter.
“I think these 66 runs is no less than a century,” Gill said.
The Indian captain spoke about the playful rivalry between the team’s batters and bowlers. He mentioned that the batters often ask the lower-order players to chip in with runs, and Gill felt that Akash had silenced them with his solid knock.
“For a while, there’s been a bit of banter between us. The batters always tease, ‘Come on, lower-order bowlers, chip in with some runs’ I think in this game, they definitely made up for that,” he added.
Ahead of Day 3, Akash had received some valuable advice from batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and KL Rahul. Kotak had suggested Akash to go for shots.
“Yesterday, after we arrived at the hotel and were in the lift, I told him, ‘Akash, if the ball is in your hitting zone tomorrow, go for it. Don’t defend every time, because in the last two innings, you got out while trying to defend,’” Kotak said.
Rahul, on the other hand, advised Akash to bat like specialist batter, stressing the need to avoid unnecessarily risk.
“This morning, I had a brief word with him and told him to approach it like a batter, making sure not to throw away his wicket,” KL Rahul.
Akash shared his thought process during the innings, mentioning that he made a firm decision to stay focused and not give away his wicket.
“Last night, before going to bed, I decided that I wasn’t going to get out. If the ball gets me out, that’s a different matter but I wasn’t ready to gift my wicket. Whether it hits my body or anything else, I knew I had to make sure I played it. The partnership with Jaiswal, where we added over 100 runs, is special,” Akash said.
“That fifty is special for me, what matters even more is the two hours I spent in the morning, playing for the team , that’s what makes it truly special,” Akash added.