National selectors are set to monitor the Irani Trophy match between Jammu & Kashmir and Rest of India, commencing in Srinagar on Thursday, October 1. The focus of the selection panel will be primarily on the Rest of India and Bengal pacer, Akash Deep, who returns to competitive cricket following an absence of nearly six months. Last seen in a competitive fixture during a February Ranji Trophy match against Jammu & Kashmir, the pacer has been sidelined due to a stress fracture. During this recovery, he missed the IPL and completed an extensive rehabilitation program at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Strategic Importance for New Zealand Tour
The special attention on the 29-year-old pacer is because of the Indian team management’s view that he is integral to its chances in the two-Test series in New Zealand in November-end. Although Akash has not featured in an international match since the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval last August, he remains a key figure in the selectors’ red-ball plans. Coach Gautam Gambhir is understood to be keen on ensuring the bowler is included in the squad for the upcoming tour of New Zealand.
Career Performance and Fitness
- In his career across 10 Tests, Akash has secured 28 wickets, notably including a 10-wicket haul in the Birmingham Test last year.
- During the decisive Oval Test which helped India square the fiercely-contested Anderson-Tendulkar series, he provided a crucial contribution with the bat by scoring 66 runs.
- The selectors originally named Akash Deep in the Rishabh Pant-led Rest of India squad under a ‘subject to fitness’ condition. Now deemed ready to participate, his performance in Srinagar will be scrutinized to confirm his readiness for high-stakes international duty.
