Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Akash Deep's brilliant debut in Ranchi Test ft. Dinesh Karthik

Akash Deep had a memorable spell on his India debut against England in the fourth Test in Ranchi. He picked up each of the three batters in England's top order to give his side a brilliant start.

It was an anti-climatic start for Akash as he cleaned up Zak Crawley off a no-ball. However, agony quickly turned into ecstasy as he got Ben Duckett edging one behind, Ollie Pope trapped LBW, and eventually knocked over Crawley to put his team in a strong position.

Experts in the cricketing fraternity were delighted to see a debutant like Akash Deep announce himself on the international stage. Here are some of the reactions:

---

#5 Aakash Chopra

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra was amazed to see the maturity with which Akash Deep bowled and felt that the latter outbowled an experienced bowler like Mohammed Siraj.

Here's what he had to say in a video on his YouTube channel:

"Somehow you feel that a debutant would have some nerves and if you are bowling with a senior bowler, you remain in his shadow. If you were not told who was the debutant between them, you might have said it's Mohammed Siraj's debut because the way Akash Deep bowled, he might have been playing always. It speaks volumes."

Chopra also lauded the Bengal pacer for his consistency and believes his late father would be proud of him from wherever he would be watching.

---

#4 RP Singh

RP Singh understood the difficulty that Akash Deep would have faced after he failed to break through at Delhi Cricket and had to shift to Bengal to make an impact. The former Indian left-arm pacer believes Akash justified his selection with such a fine performance.

Here's what RP Singh told Colors Cineplex about the pacer:

"The special thing in his bowling was that he found the length that would hit the top of the off-stump on this Ranchi wicket. The ball was moving, so he bowled the maximum deliveries on the seam. We saw him bowling with full effort and with the right intent even in his final spell."

Just like Aakash Chopra, RP Singh also praised Akash Deep for not letting the big occasion make him nervous and also shed light on how he had his pace up even at the backend of the first day.

---

#3 Sanjay Manjrekar

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar felt that the pitch was well-suited to someone like Akash Deep and his style of bowling and perhaps that's why he got more out of the wicket than Siraj.

Here's what Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo about the Bengal pacer:

"The pitch was tailor-made for Akash Deep. The morning conditions were more suited to him than Mohammed Siraj. It suits his style of bowling. His action looks repeatable. He is taller than Mukesh Kumar so gets extra bounce and touches 140 kmph consistently."

Manjrekar also claimed that he felt Akash Deep had risen to first in the pecking order in terms of backups of the frontline pace attack of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Siraj.

---

#2 Michael Vaughan

Former England captain Michael Vaughan stated that the first thing that he would see with any debutant was whether the player looked to be cut out for the international level. He was impressed with how ready Akash Deep looked for the international stage despite having just handed the Test cap to him.

Here's what Vaughan told Cricbuzz about India's latest debutants and their quality:

"If you look at a Test match debut, and the players that India have unearthed in the past two weeks, Sarfaraz and now Akash Deep, it shows the depth in Indian cricket is growing. He looked like he belonged to the stage."

Vaughan believes that the next challenge for Akash would be how he would evolve once the oppositions begin to work him out

---

#1 Dinesh Karthik

Veteran wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has shared the dressing room with Akash Deep at the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and shed light on how the pacer is always keen to learn and take points from the star players around him in the dressing room.

Here's what he told Cricbuzz:

"Sharing a dressing room with him at RCB was a great experience because he is a young player who always wants to learn. He learned a lot from Reece Topley, he loves being around Virat Kohli and has just grown in stature as a bowler. Test cricket is probably his favorite format and it's good to see him grab his opportunity."

Karthik also shed light on how tough it was for Akash to make a career out of cricket as his family wasn't in support and how it was the 2007 T20 World Cup win that inspired him to become a cricketer.