[Watch] Akash Deep wins internet with a heartfelt gesture on Day 1 of IND vs ENG Dharamsala Test

Akash Deep fulfilled a fan’s wish by throwing a water bottle during Day 1 of the fifth Test between India and England on Thursday, March 7. Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala is hosting the final match of the five-match series.

In a video doing the rounds on X (formerly Twitter), Akash could be seen throwing a water bottle to the fan near the boundary ropes on request. That came as he was serving as a waterboy for the hosts.

Watch the video below:

Akash recently made his debut for India in the fourth Test in Ranchi, where the hosts won by five wickets. The speedster bagged three wickets in the opening session of the game, dismissing Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, and Ollie Pope. The Bihar-born pacer bowled 19 overs and bagged three wickets in the entire game. India stuck with spinners for the majority of the game.

The speedster was rested for the fifth Test as ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah returned to the side after being rested for the fourth. Other than Akash, the injured batter Rajat Patidar made way for Devdutt Padikkal’s Test debut in Dharamshala.

Akash Deep will next be seen in action for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The pacer was retained by RCB for INR 20 ahead of the IPL 2024 auction.

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Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin help India decimate England on Day 1 of the Dharamsala Test

A clinical bowling performance from Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav helped India decimate England on Day 1 of the fifth Test in Dharamsala.

Asked to bowl first, India wrapped up England for 218 in 57.4 overs as the visitors registered a collapse, losing their last seven wickets for just 43 runs. Zak Crawley looked good for his 79 runs off 108 balls, hitting six and 11 boundaries. Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, and Ben Foakes chipped in 20s but failed to score big despite getting good starts.

Kuldeep Yadav starred with the ball for India, bagging a fifer, while Ravichandran Ashwin picked up a four-wicket haul in his 100th Test. Ravindra Jadeja took the prized scalp of Joe Root.

In response, the hosts put up 135/1 at stumps on Day 1, with skipper Rohit Sharma (52 off 83) and Shubman Gill (26 off 39) at the crease.

Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed 57 off 58 deliveries before being stumped by Ben Foakes off Shoaib Bashir. Jaiswal completed 700 runs in the Test series, becoming the only second batter after former captain Sunil Gavaskar to achieve the landmark. The latter had scored 732 and 774 against West Indies in the 70s.

Follow the IND vs ENG Dharamshala Test live score and updates here.