Akash Deep joins nightwatch lore with Oval knock to remember

Akash Deep had been asking for lots of love at The Oval.

On Friday, he put an arm around the departing Ben Duckett, who was caught behind playing a reverse-scoop. Until then, the England left-hander had inflicted a lot of pain on Akash Deep, spanking him for 25 runs from 24 deliveries with five boundaries, including a reverse-scooped six. While Duckett was responsible for his own wicket, Akash Deep opted to give him a polite farewell. Bodily contact is not permissible under the ICC rules and umpire Ahsan Raza did have a word with him, probably reminding him of the dos and don'ts.

The duo would soon exchange more pleasantries, as Akash Deep walked in as a nightwatcher in the last over of the second day. Akash Deep flicked a leg-side delivery from Gus Atkinson for four and took a leg-bye before the over ended. Duckett would later whisper a few things to Yashasvi Jaiswal and Akash Deep after the pair pointed out to the umpires that the light was not good to face the seamers. Stumps were called 15 minutes before the scheduled close time. So Akash Deep was well aware that England would want his wicket as soon play resumed on Saturday.

But he was least bothered. He walked onto the ground about an hour before start in his blue singlet and tracksuit bottoms and among the first things he did was hug the tender giant, India's bowling coach Morne Morkel, tightly. We wouldn't know the context, but Akash Deep certainly had a good night's sleep and was ready to have a good time. Perhaps he was telling Morkel to show him some love after recovering from a wayward first spell on Friday and helping Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna hasten England's downfall on a cloudy and overcast afternoon.

Akash Deep's self-confidence was on display from the first over of Saturday morning. He swept the third ball from part-time left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell for four and repeated the stroke by going down on his left knee to pick another two. India had opted for the heavy roller on Saturday to flatten the early moisture on a pitch that has been highly favourable to the seamers. You were not the only one to think that it would be Jaiswal, and not Akash Deep, who would cash in on the early advantage.

Nightwatchers like Akash Deep are meant to enjoy their luck as long as it lasts and depart. So far in this Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, India's tail had been limp: between Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh and Anshul Kamboj, they had scored 49 runs in nine innings before Saturday, with Siraj's 8 being the highest. The only time it wagged a bit was towards the end of the Lord's Test match when India fell short by 22 runs.

Akash Deep would not forget that Test. He had walked in as a nightwatcher on the fourth evening at Lord's and survived 11 deliveries but failed to defend a ball from England captain Ben Stokes that broke his stumps. He had just made one run.

On day three at The Oval, Akash Deep decided to be bolder. Atkinson, who conducts himself as if part of the Prime Minister's security detail - cold stare, upright, no emotion, clipped words - had been ruthless in his return to playing Test since May, picking up a five-for in the first innings. When he replaced Bethell from the Pavilion End in the third over of the morning, Shubman Gill would've been ready to walk out any minute. But Akash Deep had the India fan as well as some of the England ones erupt in excitement as he hacked a four through midwicket against a fuller ball from Atkinson. He would open the bat face to guide the ball past gully for another four in the next over, as Josh Tongue banged it back-of-length well outside of off stump.

While he was beating the outside edge frequently, Tongue was struggling to construct a string of consecutive deliveries to test the tailender. In his next over, he slipped in a nip-backer that had Akash Deep, on 21, caught on the back foot straight in front of the stumps. But umpire Raza remained unconvinced. Akash Deep survived as the DRS showed it was only clipping the leg stump. Next ball, Tongue's frustration grew deeper as Zak Crawley spilled the outside edge.

Thereafter, Akash Deep remained unruffled as he defended with a straight bat, judged the length quickly and reacted on the merit of the ball. Atkinson suffered for his mistakes as Akash Deep pulled him off the front foot, cut him in front of square and even played the uppercut for fours to bring up the fifty-run partnership with Jaiswal. An inside-edge would sneak behind square leg for a four and bring a loud shriek of excitement from Akash Deep as he celebrated his maiden Test fifty. It was the first time everyone in the Indian dressing room stood up to applaud an innings that was hurting England dearly.

In the process, Akash Deep became only the second nightwatcher for India in this century to score a half-century after Amit Mishra, who achieved the feat twice.

By the time he was eventually out, getting a leading edge off an attempted checked pull to Atkinson at point, Akash Deep had exacerbated the England seamers' agony. They had barely got a break to relax after bowling India out in the first innings and now stared at a hard, long day's work with India's main batters to follow. Akash Deep had faced 92 of the 146 deliveries till his wicket. Importantly, his 107-run partnership with Jaiswal would gain weight as the day grew older and England attempted a mini-comeback in the middle session.

This has already been a cathartic series for Akash Deep, who revealed during the Edgbaston Test that his sister had been diagnosed with cancer. He missed the fourth Test in Manchester with a groin niggle and was holding his bowling shoulder frequently throughout the first innings here. But Akash Deep has not allowed emotion to overwhelm him or stunt his job.

As he walked back and climbed up the stairs to the dressing room on Saturday, Akash Deep got a standing ovation from his team-mates and coaches as well as the full-house crowd at The Oval. Akash Deep had asked for love and got it. In return, he did something which could be a catalyst if India go on to win.