In a heartwarming moment that has captured the hearts of cricket fans, Akash Deep, the Indian fast bowler, walked out to bat with Virat Kohli‘s bat and smashed two successive sixes, leaving the former India captain in splits during day four of the India-Bangladesh Test. This unexpected turn of events added a touch of camaraderie and excitement to the ongoing match.
A Special Gift from Virat Kohli
Akash Deep received a special gift from Virat Kohli before the action unfolded at Chepauk. The pacer shared a picture of the bat and revealed the story behind getting the gift from the former India captain.
“Virat bhaiya ne khud se bat diya tha (Virat bhaiya himself gave me the bat). He must have observed something about my batting. I didn’t ask for it; he came to me and asked, ‘Bat chaiye kya tujhe?’ Who wouldn’t want a bat from Virat Bhaiya? He is a legend. I was very happy to hear his words and wanted that bat. He asked me what kind of bat I use while batting, and I just smiled—I didn’t have words. Then he said, ‘Yeh le, rakh le yeh bat,’” Deep shared.
A Moment of Joy in the Dugout
The Indian dugout thoroughly enjoyed Deep’s outing. While Rohit applauded the pacer’s stroke play, Kohli was all smiles after watching Deep smash towering sixes with his bat. The fast bowler walked out at No.9 after the fall of Ashwin’s wicket in the 34th over of the innings.
He tried to slog sweep the first ball that he faced off Shakib Al Hasan but was beaten as the ball turned away. Undeterred, Deep attempted to go for a big hit yet again and smoked the second ball straight down the ground for a fine six.
Shakib sent down a shorter ball, which Deep heaved over deep mid-wicket for another six, leaving the Indian dressing room, especially Virat Kohli, in laughter. Interestingly, Deep endured the highest strike rate among all Indian batters, scoring 12 runs off just five balls. The bat he used belonged to Kohli, who remained thrilled that the Bengal pacer had used his equipment to score crucial runs for India.
Senuran Muthusamy Recalled as South Africa Announce Spin Heavy Squad for Bangladesh Tests
Deep’s batting display was part of India’s strategy to post quick runs before declaring their innings. After playing the first ball dot, the tailender whacked the ball down the ground for a towering six and followed it up with another maximum deep mid-wicket which landed farther than the previous one. He was dismissed for 12 in five balls following which India declared their innings, taking a 52-run lead.
Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, and Instagram