I have been learning from Virat bhai and Rohit bhaiya on dedication and hard work: Akash Deep

India ace pacer Akash Deep made his international debut in the series against England earlier in the year. He picked up a three-wicket haul on his debut and did well in the first round of the Duleep Trophy, which helped the Bengal pacer get into India’s squad for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh.

In the first Test at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the pacer picked up two wickets as India defeated Bangladesh by 280 runs. Ahead of the next match in Kanpur, Akash opened up on his journey and stated that he has been learning a lot about dedication and hard work from two stalwarts of Indian cricket - Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

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“I have been learning about Virat bhai and Rohit bhaiya about dedication and hard work. I consider myself lucky to play under Rohit bhaiya. He didn't allow me to play under any kind of pressure,” Akash was quoted as saying by RevSportz in the pre-match press conference. 

"They are legends of the game. Still, the dedication they show and the hard work they put in every day… I have been learning about dedication and hard work from Virat bhai and Rohit bhaiya. I consider myself lucky to play under Rohit bhaiya. He has never put me under any pressure. He has always backed me to play freely," added Akash Deep.

I think this is a sporting pitch: Akash

Akash revealed that the surface at Kanpur is a sporting one, where the batters and bowlers will not get enough help but it won’t deteriorate as well. He expects a healthy competition and mentioned that the bowlers will need to maintain their line and length to find success in the second Test.

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“I think this is a sporting pitch. Not very helpful, not docile either. At the end of the day, you have to bowl in the right areas,” Akash said.

I have worked on my strengths: Akash

The 27-year-old has done well in the limited opportunities and has arguably sealed his place in the Indian Test team. Speaking about his progress, the pacer mentioned that he has worked hard on his strengths and prefers to keep things simple and not take much pressure.

“For the last two seasons, I have played a lot of cricket. I have worked on my strengths. I try to keep things simple and don't put myself under pressure,” Akash said.