[Watch] Debutant Akash Deep's triple strike leaves England reeling on Day 1 of 4th IND vs ENG TestÂ
Team India debutant Akash Deep's maiden spell in Test cricket dismantled the England top-order in the first session of the fourth Test in Ranchi on Friday, February 23.
The right-arm pacer dismissed Ben Duckett to claim his maiden wicket and give India their first breakthrough. Coming around the wicket in the tenth over of the innings, Akash Deep managed to get the ball to nip away from the left-handed batter, resulting in an outside edge that was safely pouched by Dhruv Jurel behind the stumps.
Just a couple of deliveries later, Akash Deep struck once again to dismiss England vice-captain Ollie Pope. The right-handed batter had stepped out of the crease but did not find any contact with the bat with the incoming ball hitting the front pad. Team India's raucous appeals were turned down by the on-field umpire, forcing Rohit Sharma to take a review.
The DRS showed all three reds, leading to celebrations in the Indian camp. The wicket even induced a rare reaction from head coach Rahul Dravid. Have a look at Duckett and Pope's dismissals by Akash Deep right here:
Ollie Pope walked back in disbelief as England's relatively solid start after winning the toss saw its first wobble.
The debutant was not done with his onslaught in his maiden spell as he breached Zak Crawley's defense to castle him in the 12th over of the innings. The opening batter was the sole batter who was getting the runs to flow with his run-a-ball 42 but was completely undone by a nip-backer.
Akash Deep had dismissed Zak Crawley off a no-ball earlier in the session as well
The debutant pacer had struck in the fourth over of the innings, by sending Crawley's off-stump cartwheeling with a brilliant delivery. However, the early celebrations were brought to a close after the delivery was adjudged as a no-ball, giving Crawley a second chance. Have a look at the incident right here:
However, Crawley's eventual dismissal in the 12th over finally vindicated Akash Deep. There was a moment of doubt as umpires paused the proceedings to check the legality of the delivery that brought upon the dismissal. The delivery was cleared and sealed Crawley's departure back into the hut.
As of writing, England find themselves at 83-3 after the end of 18 overs. The visitors currently have two new batters at the crease in the form of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow.
How many wickets will the debutant pacer bag in his maiden Test outing in Ranchi? Let us know what you think.