Akashdeep’s maiden Test fifty steers India to strong position against England at Oval

Underdog Akashdeep stunned with his first Test fifty (66), sharing a 107-run stand with Jaiswal as India took a 166-run lead. His 12 fours and gritty batting gave India control in the 5th Test. Will England fight back?

New Delhi: On the third day of the fifth Test match being played between India and England at the Oval, Indian team's fast bowler Akashdeep surprised everyone by scoring the first half-century of his Test career.

Akashdeep was originally sent as a nightwatchman (a batsman sent to save wickets at the end of the second day), but he took full advantage of the opportunity and played a brilliant innings of 66 runs. His innings played an important role in giving India a strong lead in the match.

Brilliant performance of Akashdeep

Advantage of life: England fielder Jack Crowley gave Akashdeep a life by dropping an easy catch in the 26th over. Akashdeep capitalized on this opportunity and extended his innings.

Partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal: Akashdeep shared a strong partnership of 107 runs with Yashasvi Jaiswal, giving stability to India's first innings.

Shower of 12 fours: Akashdeep troubled the England bowlers by hitting 12 fours in his innings.

Team reaction: When Akashdeep completed his half-century, captain Shubman Gill and veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja gestured for him to take off his helmet, giving him respect like a century.

Match the situation and India's lead

India's first innings: By lunch on the third day, India had scored 189 runs for 3 wickets and taken a lead of 166 runs over England.

Yashasvi Jaiswal's contribution: Yashasvi also continued his innings with patient batting and put India in a strong position. If he continues to play like this, he could complete his century today, as he has already scored 85 and 15 runs short to get his century.

Worry for England: England bowlers did not get much success against the Indian batsmen, and now they need to take quick wickets to stop India's lead.

Akashdeep's Test career

Akashdeep is primarily a fast bowler and is not considered a specialist in batting. Earlier, he had scored only 135 runs in 15 innings in 10 Test matches. This innings played at the Oval proved to be the best innings of his Test career.

Important innings for India

This innings of Akashdeep proved to be very important for India, as he not only led the team to a strong score but also gave confidence to the lower-order batsmen.

If India's batting continues like this, then it can put pressure on England and reach a position to win the match. Now it remains to be seen whether India is able to increase this lead further or England's bowlers make a comeback.