new delhi: A coach who believed in him more than himself, a captain who supported when the chips were down and conditions that felt more like home than away -- Indian pacer Akash Deep says his maiden but impactful tour of England was rather smooth.
A 10-wicket match-haul in one game and a very important half-century in another, both in winning causes, summed up Akash Deep’s performance that has made him an overnight star but he can’t forget what head coach Gautam Gambhir told him after his 66 at the Oval.
“Tumko khud pata nahi tum kya kar sakte ho (You aren’t aware of your capabilities). ‘See, I was telling you, you can do it. You have to play with this dedication always’,” the 29-year-old recollected in an interview.
“Gautam bhai is a very passionate coach. He always motivates us. He believes in me more than I believe in myself, both in my batting and bowling,” he gushed after having earned the vote of confidence from his coach.
Having made his Test debut under Rohit Sharma and now playing under Shubman Gill, the adjustment has been easy for the Bengal speedster, who terms the new skipper as someone who is calm yet brimming with on-field ideas.
“He is a very good captain. It’s not like he is a new captain. He has already been an IPL captain for a couple of years, which is a big platform. That experience does count,” he said.
“With Shubman as captain, I didn’t feel like I was playing for the first time. He’s very supportive. When a captain supports you and understands things well, especially when you are down, it makes a big difference.
“I have played Duleep Trophy under his captaincy last year so it wasn’t the first time. He is a cool customer with a lot of ideas and when someone is calm, it helps in taking good on-field decisions,” Akash Deep explained.
Although it was his first time in England, Akash Deep, for the better part of the series, felt that he was playing on sub-continental tracks with negligible movement for quick bowlers. “In Australia, there was a lot of bounce and carry and I tried keeping it slightly back of length or at times pitch it up. However, in four out of the five Tests that we played in England, it didn’t resemble the typical English wickets that we have traditionally heard of or seen over the years. If you see, the ball wasn’t seaming or swinging a lot at times and we had to hit the India length, fuller one. We had to make that adjustment which, if you have played enough cricket, you should be able to do it.”
Akash Deep then dwelled on his net routines and visualisation techniques.