Having taken 10 wickets in the series-levelling 336-run victory at Edgbaston here on Sunday, Akash Deep has well and truly arrived on the big stage with a performance of a lifetime on a track that was, for the most part, a bowler’s graveyard. Akash Deep returned figures of 6 for 99 in the second innings to complete a match haul of 10 for 187.He has been receiving rich praise from across the cricketing world.A video is doing the rounds on social media, where an English fan can be seen singing a song outside the Edgbaston ground for the 28-year-old.“Akash Deep, Akash Deep Bowling England Out, Akash Deep!” sings an England fan outside the stadium after the end of Day 5.Legendary Sachin Tendulkar hailed Akash Deep as the “standout bowler” of the match and described his delivery to dismiss Joe Root in the second innings as the “ball of the series.”Tendulkar was full of praise on X.“India’s approach was to take England out of this game and force them to play differently, making sure that there would only be 1 winner. What impressed me most about the bowlers was the length they bowled.“Needless to say, Akash Deep was the standout bowler, and in my opinion, he bowled the ball of the series to Joe Root,” Tendulkar wrote.
On a funny note, he also didn’t forget to mention Siraj’s diving catch at short mid-wicket.“Enjoyed the catch taken by Mohammad ‘Jonty’ Siraj,” the owner of 51 Test hundreds commented.
