"The team management certainly got it spot on" - Anil Kumble praises debutant Akash Deep's heroics in 4th IND vs ENG Test 

Former India cricketer Anil Kumble hailed pacer Akash Deep for his exceptional bowling display in the fourth Test against England in Ranchi. He also reserved special praise for the team management for giving the pacer an opportunity to showcase his talent in Tests.

The right-arm pacer wreaked havoc in the first session, dismissing the English top-order trio of Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, and Ollie Pope in quick succession after Team India were put into bowl first. Akash Deep had dismissed Zak Crawley in the fourth over itself, but the dismissal was unfortunately ruled out as he had overstepped.

Akash Deep came into the playing XI after Jasprit Bumrah was released from the squad as part of workload management. He had impressed the selectors and the team management with his bowling display for India 'A' against the England Lions recently.

Anil Kumble lauded the team management's decision to throw Akash Deep straight into the mix and resist the temptation to play Axar Patel instead.

"The team management certainly got it spot on. When Bumrah wasn't available for this game, there was an option to pick a fast bowler. India has always played two seamers in this series so far. Yes, we all thought the pitch was conducive, then maybe Axar Patel. But Akash has certainly bowled exceptionally well," Kumble said on Jio Cinema during the Lunch break

Akash Deep made the most of the uneven bounce and early moisture on the surface. Furthermore, he also got the ball to move around after pitching, which troubled the batters to a great extent.

"I thought he bowled exceptionally well for a debutant" - Anil Kumble on Akash Deep

It took 30 first-class games for Akash Deep, after making his debut in 2019, to get into the national side. He has certainly made a solid early impression and is set to be part of the pacer pool for Team India in Tests.

"He bowled good lengths and most of the time, the length sort of got the better of the batter, that's where they got beaten. On this surface, it is not easy for stroke play. That's something England batters went searching for. But hats off to Akash. I thought he bowled exceptionally well for a debutant," Kumble added

Akash Deep has not been able to make further inroads in England batting, with the ball getting older and spinners coming into play. At the time of writing, England are placed at 196-5 after 58 overs in the second session of Day 1.