Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pacer Akash Deep revealed that his Bengal teammate Manoj Tiwary had told him that if he could impress Virat Kohli first, he could find a place in RCB’s playing XI and could even get a chance to play for Team India.
Notably, the right-arm seamer was first picked as a replacement for the injured Washington Sundar in IPL 2021 by the RCB, but he didn't get a single game last year. However, he managed to impress Kohli and later got picked by the RCB in the IPL 2022 mega auction at a base price of INR 20 lakh.
He also got a debut cap from Kohli, and the pacer said that it was a dream come true moment for him. The pacer got to play five matches in the IPL 2022 and scalped five wickets.
Akash Deep told The Indian Express: “Manoj (Tiwary) bhaiyya said, ‘Virat is India’s captain, and if you manage to impress him, you will get to play in the IPL next season and might play for India as well because you have all the ingredients to become a good fast bowler.’ That was my goal, and I managed to do well in the practice matches and was later picked in the auction.”
Sharing the experience of playing and sharing the RCB dressing room with Kohli, Akash said: “As a kid, when we used to watch the likes of Kohli and MS Dhoni on TV, I used to think whether I would ever get a chance to meet them in my life. In my mind, they were like superheroes. And from the place I come from, in my wildest imagination, I never thought that someday, I would end up sharing the dressing room with Kohli. Sab Sapna hai (Everything is a dream).”
He added, “I was shocked that he knows where I am from, my journey, struggle, and everything. While giving me the cap, he said, ‘You deserve to be here. Just keep doing what you have done in the past. Just enjoy yourself, stick to your process.’ It was a very emotional moment.”
Speaking about the experience of playing in the IPL 15, the pacer said: “Entire IPL 2022 was a learning experience for me, and the moment we were out of the bubble, I followed Josh everywhere. I spent most of my time with him. It was surreal because I used to watch his bowling on YouTube and now I was bowling in tandem with him.”
He concluded, “Most of the discussions used to be about fast bowling. The off-stump line, his mental strength, how he sets up batsmen, his game preparation, workload management, how to deal with injuries.”
(With Indian Express Inputs)
