IND vs BAN: Akash Deep gets special Virat Kohli gift ahead of India’s first Test match against Bangladesh
New Delhi: Virat Kohli is known to lend his bats to his fellow Indian teammates. If it was Rinku Singh during the Indian Premier League earlier this year, fast bowler Akash Deep became the latest recipient in the list when the Bengal cricketer got a willow from the best in the business. Both Akash Deep and Kohli are currently a part of the Indian squad for the first Test match against Bangladesh starting in Chennai on September 19.
In an Instagram story, Akash Deep shared a picture of the bat resting on the bat with a caption, “Thanq bhaiya @virat.kohli.” The 27-year-old Akash Deep was rewarded for his consistent performances in the domestic circuit. After his three wickets on debut against England, the Bengal lad has been among wickets in the Duleep Trophy, picking up nine wickets including a fifer. Additionally, Mohammed Shami’s absence also paved way for Akash Deep against Bangladesh.
Virat Kohli gifted his bat to Akash Deep.
– Lovely gesture by the King. pic.twitter.com/onKuPWrdyl
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 16, 2024
On the other hand, Kohli is making a comeback into Tests after missing the entire England series due to the birth of his son Akaay. The former India captain was rumoured to play in the Duleep Trophy but at the end it did not happen. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma and Co had another extensive training session in the build up to the first Test against Bangladesh with all 16 squad members turning for practice at the Chepauk on Monday.
Kohli was among the first set of batters to hit the nets. In the adjacent net was southpaw Yashasvi Jaiswal as both him and Kohli faced Jasprit Bumrah and home hero Ravichandran Ashwin. The next set of batters included skipper Rohit, Shubman Gill and Sarfaraz Khan, the last named player arriving here after taking part in the second round Duleep Trophy match in Anantapur. The captain focussed on playing spinners keeping Bangladesh’s slow bowling attack in mind.
Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant and pacer Mohammed Siraj too faced local bowlers and significant amount of throwdowns.
The practise pitch at the main square offered a decent amount of bounce. India will have two more practice sessions scheduled before the series opener against Bangladesh, who are riding on the confidence of their series sweep in Pakistan.
Most players in the playing eleven select themselves. The Chennai surface usually favour the spinners and there is likelihood of India going into the game with three spinners and two pacers. The spinners expected to feature are Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav while Bumrah and Siraj will share workload in the pace department. Axar Patel, despite his impressive all-round returns across formats, may have to sit out.
On the batting front, Pant is expected to make his Test return after a gap of almost two years. Dhruv Jurel, who impressed his debut series against England, will be benched in that case.