Who is Akash Deep, Virat Kohli’s RCB teammate who gets maiden Test call up?

Indian fast bowler, Akash Deep has gotten his maiden India Test call-up. In the ongoing Test series against England, Akash replaced Avesh Khan in the final three Tests. It is worth noting that the 27-year-old has already got a chance to be in India’s squad in the past in different formats. In India’s squad for the Asian Games 2023, Akash got his maiden T20I callup. 

He also featured in India’s ODI squad against South Africa which happened in December last year. For the first time in Tests, he has been picked in the Indian squad. Akash has been a part of RCB in the last three seasons. The right-arm pacer has had an opportunity to share the dressing room with some great cricketers like Virat Kohli, Faf Du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell. 

In 2019, Akash made his maiden appearance for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy. For the first time in a long time, Bengal made it to the final of the biggest Indian domestic tournament. Deep played a key role in their campaign. Since then, he has been a mainstay in their attack. In 29 matches for Bengal, Akash has a total of 109 wickets to his name. He can bat a bit as well. 

Akash Deep’s record for Bengal in domestic cricket

In their List-A career, the talented player has claimed 42 wickets in 28 matches at a bowling average of 24.50. In 2022, Akash was picked by RCB. He won the match against Mumbai Indians with his bowling spell. Before the start of the season, RCB organized a camp where Faf Du Plessis praised the skills of Deep, along with Dinesh Karthik.  

“DK (Karthik) was really good, but I was impressed the most with Akash Deep. He was excellent with the new ball, and bowled very good hard lengths. I was surprised by his pace as well. It is very pleasing for us to have young fast bowlers stepping up,” said Faf Du Plessis in the interview. In the absence of Virat Kohli, another RCB player has become a part of the Indian Test team.