Akash Deep marked his return to the Indian playing XI with an impressive 4/88 in the first innings of the Edgbaston Test against England.
Coming in as a replacement for the rested Jasprit Bumrah, Deep had a big task in front of him with the new ball in his hand and the bowler did not disappoint.
The Bengal fast bowler bowled exceptionally well to dismiss England's centurions from Headingley, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope, followed by well-set Harry Brook on 158.
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As he backed up his first innings performance with an equally brilliant start to the second innings, he received a lot of praise from experts and is touted as the new fan favourite by Irfan Pathan. Chasing 608 runs, the English were reduced to 83/5 with Akash picking up four of those wickets.
Irfan Pathan heaps praise on Akash Deep; labels him as a new fan favorite
After a delayed start to the rain-affected final day, the 28-year-old pacer held the game by the scruff of its neck and dismissed the overnight set batters, Brook and Pope.
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He had also helped India to start the 4th innings well with Duckett's wicket and an absolute snorter to Joe Root.
Praising his quality for his 8 wickets in the match so far, the former India all-rounder, Irfan Pathan took to Twitter and claimed Deep to be becoming a new fan favorite.
"Akash Deep is fast becoming fans' favourite. Quality hai boss," wrote the former India all-rounder.
See the Tweet below:
Akash deep is fast becoming fans favourite. Quality hai boss.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) July 6, 2025
Previously, Deep had also bowled well when England had toured India and scalped 3 wickets on his debut. He continued his rhythm in Australia later in the year; however, he was not fortunate enough to have wickets to his name.